


(Could You) Be More Jealous

by Hope_Floats_With_a_Floatie



Series: (CY)BMJ [2]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Angst, Apocalypse Of The Damned, Background Relationships, Bisexual Jake, But like only a few months post squip, Christine and Jake are friends, Coming Out, Depression, Everyone needing help BUT ACTUALLY GETTING IT, Fake Relationship, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Filipino!Michael Mell, Guilt, Heavy Language, Hurt/Comfort, I SWEAR THE WHOLE FIC ISN'T JUST ANGST, I made this mostly for a friend, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Jake being oblivious, Jealousy, Jeremy being oblivious, Kissing, Like, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Michael being oblivious in a different way, Michael making jokes, Mr. Heere knows more than Michael wants him to, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PDA, Partly to liven up the Rich/Jake tag, Pining, Post-Squip, Rating May Change, Rich appreciates how thicc Michael is, Rich has ADHD, Rich making innuendos, Suicidal Thoughts, Swearing, Taki's, Thicc!Michael, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, copious amounts of crying, eventual mutual pining, jake in a wheelchair, previous Christine/Jeremy, references to nearly every song in the play, references to the bro duet, should I tag thicc Michael?, specifically pinkberry, too much crying almost, you know the drill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-04-27 14:54:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14427894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hope_Floats_With_a_Floatie/pseuds/Hope_Floats_With_a_Floatie
Summary: Jeremy is really happy for Michael. He is! He's glad that he put himself out there and is now dating... Rich. But, if Rich makes him happy, then Jeremy is happy. Why would he be jealous? Jealous that they're working out when he and Christine didn't? Jealous that Michael didn't tell Jeremy about it first? Additionally, why does Jake goddamn Dillinger think that their relationship is any of his buisiness? Everything is fine, and Jeremy is going to prove that.Set a few months after the events of Be More Chill. Mild angst. Tags will be added when necessary.





	1. A Not Too Heinous Day

Jeremy Heere jumped when he felt a buzz in his pocket. It was weird to get a text at lunch when all of the people who would text him were in front of/beside him. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, seeing that the text was from Jake Dillinger who was… sitting right next to him. He tapped Jake’s bicep, giving him a look. Jake glanced back at him, nodding down at Jeremy’s phone. Jeremy huffed, finally reading the text.

**Rich+Mke r tryin to make u jel, bro**

Jeremy scoffed, picking up his milk. Jake was being ridiculous. What would they try to make him jealous of?

Rich and Michael- to the surprise of pretty much everyone in their new friend group- started dating during Christmas break. Jeremy was the most blindsided due to the fact that Michael had not told him: he found out from Jenna right before lunch. Part of him wanted to give Michael a break: the last week of break had been Hanukkah and his father wanted a technology-free zone for the celebration. There was no way for Michael to text him about this new development. The other part of him was still hurt that his best friend was not the first one to tell him. Jeremy was still happy for Michael: he seemed super happy with Rich. Rich was… well, Rich, but he definitely was happier around Michael. Jeremy looked over at the couple who were sitting on the other side of the table.

“Babe, babe, check it.” Rich poked Michael’s shoulder repeatedly, his lisp more pronounced due to the Taki’s fangs he had made for himself. Michael took his headphones off, finally looking over at his boyfriend. “Babe. I’m a hot vampire.” Rich stated, trying his best not to laugh. Michael burst out laughing, his eyes lighting up. Rich’s smile widened to the point that the spicy sticks of flavor fell into his lap.

“You literally pulled that last week. Honestly, you two are just ridiculous.” Chloe droned, looking her nails over. “Brooke, I think I need to switch back to plaid.” Chloe turned to the girl, a pout on her lips.

“I think pastels still look good on you.” Brooke answered sweetly, pecking her lips. Chloe blinked, a smile spreading shyly across her lips. “I don’t mind you switching it up, though.” She added, a small smile taking over her own lips.

Jeremy huffed as his phone buzzed with another text from Jake. He turned to him fully, crossing his arms.

“Dude, what do you-” he began to rant but was interrupted by Jake grabbing his arm and dragging him away from the lunch table. Jeremy stammered in protest, trying to get out of Jake’s incredibly strong grip. Part of him was surprised that Jake was able to keep such a tight hold on him and roll his wheelchair forward at the same time.

Jake stopped just outside the lunchroom doors, letting go of Jeremy. Jeremy rubbed his arm, glaring down at him.

“What the hell, dude?” He demanded, internally cringing at how whiny his voice sounded.

“Jerm, I swear on my parents’ fake graves that this is true.” Jake stated firmly, keeping eye contact with him. “Rich and Michael only act like a couple when you’re lookin’ at them. Like- just look at them right now.” He pointed at the window on the door. Jeremy frowned, looking through the window. Michael and Rich were finishing up their lunch separately, Rich leaning partly on Michael. Jeremy scoffed, looking back at Jake.

“Since when did you get paranoid?” Jeremy crossed his arms. “Normal couples are like that. It’s not different because they’re gay.” He narrowed his eyes. Jeremy knew that people’s attitudes did not change overnight and Jake had made a point of making fun of him and others for possibly being gay. Rich had as well, but Jeremy knew that his primary influencer for bullying was his SQUIP. Jake acted the same SQUIPped and SQUIPpedless (with the exception of him being able to stand, which was what had Jake stuck in a wheelchair for a few more days).

“Really? You and Christine were like that?” Jake demanded, crossing his arms as well. Jeremy shifted from foot to foot, thinking back on his time with Christine. They had gone on three dates before they decided that this would not work out. They were great friends and did care for each other deeply platonically, but both of them realized that they had much more to work through independently before they started a relationship with anyone. They still hung out together, but they were not dating.

“Whatever.” Jake played with his wristbands, looking over at their table. “It's sus as hell, still. Rich didn't even tell me he was dating him.” Jeremy blinked in surprise.

“Michael didn't tell me either.” Jeremy admitted quietly, looking back at them. Rich was walking to the trash to dump off uis tray. “They were probably just nervous. Besides, you only knew SQUIP Rich.” It was at that moment Jeremy knew he said exactly the wrong thing. Jake’s face was completely frozen in shock. Jeremy decided the best course of action would be to just go back to his table before Jake decided to react.

He sat back down at his seat in time just as Michael broke his kiss with Rich. Taki’s dust clung to the starts of a mustache above his lips. His lips were almost cherry red from the dust and whatever suction occurred during the kiss. Jeremy ducked his head, focusing on his chips instead of his best friend’s lips.

“Mmm, that was one spicy vampire.” Michael said in an absolutely dreadful Italian accent, bursting into laughter again soon afterwards. Rich laughed as well, brushing his fingers through his own hair. Taki’s dust mixed with the red stripe in the center of his hair. Michael managed to eat his final slice of sushi once he fully got over his giggle fit. Jake returned to the table, parking his wheelchair on the other side of Christine. Christine raised an eyebrow at Jeremy, clearly wondering what was going on. Jeremy gave her a tight smile, not wanting to say anything around any of the present company.

“Can’t believe it’s a half-day today.” Brooke chirped, squirting cherry scented hand sanitizer into her palms. “If anyone wants to come over for Scandal night with me and Chloe, we-” Chloe shook her head, snorting. Brooke sighed daintily. “Well, does anyone else have anything exciting going on later?” She amended, looking down the table at the rest of the group.

“I’ve got my check-in with the doctor. Might move back to crutches soon.” Jake informed before going back to drinking his protein shake.

“I’ll be at the mall, just dress shopping.” Jenna swirled her yogurt around with her spoon. “That Valentine’s dance is coming up.” She mumbled mostly to herself. Christine looked over at her, a smile lighting her face.

“Can I come with you? I think you might have a better eye for fashion than me.” Christine inquired eagerly. Jenna smiled back shyly, nodding. Christine’s eyes sparkled with delight. Jeremy smiled a little at her cheerfulness: he still found her so adorable when she got excited like that.

“Well,” Michael wrapped an arm around Rich’s shoulders. “Me and Rich are heading back home and hanging out with my close friend Mary Jane.” Michael drawled, wiggling his eyebrows. Chloe and Christine rolled their eyes, Chloe scoffing at the theatrical nature of his announcement. Rich smiled more, wrapping his arm around Michael’s waist.

“Who knows? Maybe Mikey might blow more than-” Rich’s last word was drowned out by the bell signaling the end of lunch. Jeremy could not recall being more relieved for the period ending. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, getting up and beginning to head out of the lunchroom. He glanced back, seeing that Rich was heading towards the west wing of the school while Michael was heading in the same direction as Jeremy. Jeremy slowed his walk to be in step with Michael.

“Hey, Michael.” Jeremy nudged him, giving him a grin. “Dad gave me his copy of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out if you want to come over and play.” He offered, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder.

“Sounds fun, Jere.” Michael nudged back. “Tomorrow after school’s okay with me if it’s okay with you.” He matched his friend’s grin. Jeremy nodded, holding in a sigh of relief.

“It totally is.” Jeremy snapped his fingers into finger guns, pointing them at Michael before he ducked into his class. He sat down, bewildered at his own actions. Michael usually did finger guns, not him. He patted his forehead a few times, shaking his head. He was going to get it together and act normal around his best friend. Nothing was wrong with him or Michael, and he was going to prove that to Jake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! You made it!
> 
> If you're looking for more context in this fic, you have come to the right place! Here are some background items that I did not delve too much into in this chapter.
> 
> 1) Jake being in a wheelchair instead of crutches  
> I figured that standing on broken legs would probably damage them further. Therefore, he is currently in a wheelchair. How this affects the rest of his life will be revealed later on.
> 
> 2) When exactly it is set  
> I figured it was obvious, but I understand if it is not completely clear. This is set late January, just two months after the events of The Play. 
> 
> 3) Pinkberry?  
> Hell yeah, bro. They will be a more major part of the story moving forward, but I did not tag them as a major relationship because I did not want to disappoint anyone who is looking for a story centering around Brooke and Chloe. I love them to death, but this story is centered around the main boys.
> 
> 4) Christine's sexuality/More explanation for why Jeremy and Christine aren't together  
> While I personally head canon her as asexual and panromantic (mostly self-projection, honestly), I do not believe that her sexuality would be the deciding factor in her break-up with Jeremy. As will probably be explained later, their breakup had more to do with the fact that Jeremy a) had an idolized version of her in his mind that she knew she would not live up to, b) as stated in both of her songs, she has a so many interests that she wants to pursue and Jeremy is still trying to find his motivation. Both of them realized this after a few dates and decided that the best thing for both of them would be to keep things platonic. 
> 
> If you have any more questions, please comment and ask and I'll probably answer your question in the notes of a future chapter or maybe even post it back in this one if the question is pressing enough.
> 
> Have a lovely day/night/afternoon off, you wonderful readers!


	2. I'm Not What He Wants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy and Michael finally get to talk to each other. Unfortunately, one of them cannot bring himself to be fully honest with his best friend.

“Jeremy! Michael’s here!” Mr. Heere called from the front door. Jeremy made an ‘uh-huh’ noise, clearly focused on attempting to beat Don Flamenco. Michael gave Mr. Heere a smile, shrugging.

“Nice pants.” He complimented, looking at the older man’s khakis. Mr. Heere smiled proudly, sticking his thumbs in the belt loops.

“I have five different pairs.” Mr. Heere said proudly. “Jeremy told me that you’re dating a young man right now?” The father asked genially. Michael laughed nervously, nodding. “Well, can’t say I’m not surprised,” Mr. Heere rocked back on his heels. “But, I mean, I thought that you and Jeremy-” he started to explain.

“He’s with Christine.” Michael corrected quickly, his cheeks a bit pink. “Jeremy’s just my friend, Mr. Heere.” He gave him a tight lipped smile. Mr. Heere smiled knowingly, nodding.

“Just remember to treat whoever you’re dating right. But personally,” Mr. Heere leaned forward. “If you treat them as well as you treat m’boy, they’re the luckiest person alive.” Michael’s cheeks were nearly glowing pink at this point. Mr. Heere laughed, ruffling Michael’s hair.

“Thank you, Mr. Heere.” Michael managed before darting up the stairs to Jeremy’s room. He took a few deep breaths, composing himself. He nudged the open door, looking inside the teenager’s bedroom. Jeremy was red-faced as he played the game, teeth worrying his lower lip.

“Jer?” He knocked on the door frame. Jeremy jumped, swearing when his character got knocked out.

“Michael.” Jeremy looked over at his friend, a tired smile on his face. “Sorry for not- I mean-” he stammered as he stood up, brushing the chip dust off of his pants. “Thanks for coming over.” He managed. Michael laughed, walking over and plopping into his usual bean bag chair.

“It’s no biggie. I missed hanging out with you, dude.” Michael shrugged, looking up at Jeremy. Jeremy plopped back into his own beanbag chair, brushing his side bang out of his eyes.

“Same,” he laughed a little. “But you’ve been busy, so…” he shook his head, looking back at the screen. Michael looked over at his friend, pursing his lips in thought.

“Yeah, but you just had to ask.” Michael hummed as he picked up his controller. “I mean, Rich’s my boyfriend, but you’re my boyf, riend.” He cooed teasingly. Jeremy groaned, smiling regardless. “But yeah, dude. All you need to do is call.” Michael looked at the screen.

Jeremy offered him his usual player one controller. “It’s Mike Tyson’s Punch Out.” Jeremy explained. “Dad found it in the basement. It’s one-player, but if you want to take turns, I’m totally cool with trading off.” Michael pursed his lips, shaking his head.

“You told me about that yesterday.” Jeremy managed a tiny ‘oh’. Michael smiled apologetically. “I was kinda hoping there was a two player mode?” Michael rubbed the back of his neck.

“Also all the, uh, racism…” he gestured vaguely at the game. Jeremy nodded, going over to the console and switching out the game for something more familiar. Michael sat back in the seat, smiling contentedly.

They played through Apocalypse of the Damned together, starting from level one. They fell into their usual rhythms, shouting out advise to each other when necessary. Jeremy ended up helping Michael frequently; he figured it was just because Michael was a little rusty from around a month of neglect. Jeremy was still caught off-guard when Michael made rookie mistakes like continually trying to eat the bullets he picked up instead of equipping them. Jeremy had to reach over multiple times, correcting his finger placement.

“Dude, what’s wrong?” Jeremy asked near the middle of level five. “Are you too sober for this or-”

“No, no, I’m fine.” Michael shook his head, eyes flickering briefly over at Jeremy. “Everything’s fine.” His voice could be considered by some to be convincing, but Jeremy knew better. He paused the game, turning to face his friend.

“Hey, is everything good with you and Rich?” Jeremy asked. Michael’s eyes widened, his cheeks reddening. “I don’t want to pry or anything,” Jeremy felt his own cheeks heat up. “But is he, like… doing you good?” Jeremy meant to hint about if things were abusive, but his mind kept going back to all of Rich’s uncomfortable innuendos. Now he found himself making an uncomfortable and unintentional innuendo of his own. He hated it.

“Uh, yeah?” Michael shifted uncomfortably in the chair. “I mean, he’s short but he's not sma-”

“I- I- I meant,” Jeremy stammered, trying to backpedal as fast as possible. “He’s not, like, hurting you?” His voice edged towards a squeak. Michael sighed in what looked to be relief at the question.

“No no no,” Michael chuckled, shaking his head. “Rich is too freaked out about the chance he could maybe hurt me to actually try anything.” He reassured, wiping his brow. “He hasn’t set fire to my house or made out with friends or anything.” He joked, leaning back in the chair. Jeremy laughed awkwardly, a bit of shame pricking his heart.

“You look really happy with him.” Jeremy noted, combing his fingers through his side bang. Michael gave him a small smile, nodding. “And I think Rich is lucky to be with the coolest guy I know.” He offered Michael a hug. Michael leaned over, pulling him into a big hug. Jeremy smiled brightly, missing the embrace of his best friend. He gave Michael a little squeeze. Michael gave a choked-off laugh, squeezing back. Jeremy frowned a little at the laugh.

“Is something wrong?” Jeremy started to pull away but Michael held on. He could feel his friend start to shake under his hands.

“No, I’m just,” Michael’s voice was a little muffled. “Really happy that my friend is so supportive.” Michael lied, forcing a smile even though Jeremy couldn't see him. Jeremy gave him another reassuring squeeze, making Michael's heart twist again. He knew he was the lucky one to have a friend this supportive of him: it just sucked that Jeremy was supporting a fake relationship that was supposed to be making him jealous.

Michael and Jeremy went back to playing Apocalypse of the Damned. They were fully in-sync in the game, but their trains of thought had left the station in opposite directions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah ha HAA  
> YES MICHAEL. TRY YOUR BEST TO MAKE YOUR BEST FRIEND JEALOUS. ENACT YOUR VENGEANCE.
> 
> Also, if any of you are thinking, "hey! Aren't Christine and Jeremy not dating? Why would Michael tell Mr. Heere they are?" Then that means I didn't do a great job explaining things last chapter and I'm sorry. Jeremy and Christine are indeed not dating, however neither of them mentioned it to the entirety of the group. Therefore, Michael and Rich do not know that Jeremy is, indeed, single and possibly ready to mingle.
> 
> It does feel a little strange having Michael hold the truth from his friend like this, however all motivations will be explained soon! By soon, I mean by Chapter Four. In any case, I hope you guys are having fun reading this fic! Thanks a lot to my star of a friend who gave me the inspiration to write this. Chapter three will probably be up by tomorrow. It will be MUCH longer than this one, but do not despair! It's got that Rich/Jake development to soothe your soul. 
> 
> Have a lovely day/night, you lovely people!


	3. I'm Just What He Needs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rich and Jake feel left behind. They decide to try and fix that.
> 
> Also, language/content warning! Rich and Jake consume alcoholic beverages and swear a lot in this. If that's not your cup of tea, just skip from the first dividing line down to the next. Unfortunately, you will miss a lot of character development doing so. My apologies.

“Michael?!” Rich exclaimed, looking at the text from his boyfriend. Michael had just texted him that he was hanging out with Jeremy that night, which meant no ride home for Rich.

 

Home, for Richard Goranski, had changed definitions multiple times during his life. At first, home was the apartment where he, his siblings, and his parents lived. When his dad started drinking, home was the bathtub with the shower curtains drawn, where he could listen to music in peace. When the drinking got worse but his popularity began to rise due to a certain Japanese product, home became Brooke’s house. When Brooke was busy, home would be Chloe’s house. Sometimes it would be Jake’s house, but that same Japanese product would sometimes take it upon itself make him avoid the athlete.

 

Recently, home became Michael Mell’s house. This home had everything: two moms who made the best pancit he had ever tasted (the only pancit he had ever tasted, but who cared), seemingly an endless supply of discontinued sodas and weed, as well as the juiciest butt he had ever gotten the chance to squeeze. Unfortunately, this home was too far away for him to go to without a ride. Since Michael had ditched him to go with Two Player Twink- whom he acknowledged that he did owe his life to and totally respected- he currently had nowhere to go.

 

“Rich?” Rich whipped around, finding himself face to face with a concerned Christine.

 

“What’s wrong?” She asked, meeting his eyes. Rich groaned, rubbing his face.

 

“Michael ditched me to hang out with Jer.” Rich leaned against his locker. “Which means I got no transportation.” His leg started bouncing involuntarily. Rich’s excess energy had always been a source of argument between himself and his Japanese product; the computer frequently punishing him for any “uncool” movements. Now, he had no way and nobody to control all the fidgeting he had been suppressing.

 

Christine tapped her lip, her brows bunching together in thought. A devious glint appeared in her eye, making Rich a bit on edge.

 

“Jenna told me yesterday that Jake wanted to hang out with you soon. Maybe you should stop by the gym to see if he’s done talking to the squash coach.” She suggested sweetly. Rich nodded, pulling his coat out of his locker.

 

“Thanks.” He gave her a brief grin. She smiled back before walking off to the school entrance. Rich closed his locker and headed in the opposite direction.

 

Jake was rolling out of the gym, shoulders slouched slightly. The coach did want him on the team, but both of them were aware of the current physical situation he was in. There was such a small chance that his legs would be fine for squash tryouts. That limited his choices in afterschool activities to anime club, chess club, or Dungeons and Dragons. Truly, he had fallen on desperate times.

 

“Yo! Jake!” Jake looked up in surprise, seeing Rich jog over to him. Rich stopped a few feet in front of him, grinning at him. Jake managed a smile back. “'Sup, Rich.” Jake nodded, leaning back in his chair. He was not exactly sure what else to say: both of them had changed a lot over the past few months. The time that they spent hanging out the past year was mostly at parties and the things they talked about were mostly... extracurricular. Recently, though, Jake had not been able to hold any parties and had no extracurriculars to brag about.

 

“Uh,” Rich scratched the back of his neck. “I was just wondering if you wanted to hang at your house. I’m free so-”

 

“Yeah, dude.” Jake smiled easily. “My aunt’ll be over soon to give me a ride. You can hop in too.” He rolled further out into the hallway. Rich walked alongside him.

 

“You’re living with your aunt?” He asked. Jake nodded, laughing to himself.

 

“Mom and Dad sent me a postcard from Ireland a week ago. Said they’d be back for my graduation.” He shook his head, smiling to himself. “So my aunt and uncle decided to take me in.” Rich nodded, suddenly feeling a stab of guilt. He was not proud of anything happened when that damn SQUIP was in his brain, but this was one thing that the voices in his head had been lording over him for weeks. Burning down Jake’s house was one of the worst things he had done: it had absolutely no upsides aside from making Jenna slightly more popular than before. His posture slumped further as he thought about it. Jake reached over, tapping his upper arm.

 

“My aunt’s here.” He informed. Rich looked up, seeing that they were now in the school parking lot. A navy blue minivan was pulled up in the handicapped spot. A bordering on middle-aged woman was already out of the car, opening the side door. She looked over at the two boys, a kind smile on her lips.

 

“You must be Rich.” She nodded at him. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” Rich laughed nervously, stuffing his hands in his pockets so she would not see them shake.

 

“He’s helping me out with pre-calc.” Jake informed, giving his aunt a winning smile. She nodded, humming a little.

 

“Well, Rich, d’ya mind helping me get Jake into the car?” She asked the standing teenager. Rich nodded, taking his hands out of his pockets.

 

“What do you need me to do, ma’am?” Rich asked. Her smile widened at the term, her back straightening.

 

“I’ve gotta lift Jake here into his seat. You can-” she started to instruct but Rich had already scooped Jake out of the wheelchair and into his arms. Jake made a noise of surprise at the sudden gesture. Rich gave him a reassuring grin, stepping closer to the car. Jake could not remember a time where he had ever gotten picked up by anyone outside of his family since he was five: with the muscles he had packed on as well as his height, he weighed in at over two hundred pounds. The fact that Rich was holding him like a sleeping toddler was surprising to say the least. The physical feat aside, Jake could not help but notice the tenderness with which Rich was holding him, as though he was a priceless artifact. Jake could feel his heart pound against his rib cage as a swell of something- appreciation? Embarrassment?- coursed through his body.

 

Rich lifted him into a seat, his hands sliding away when he had completed his task. Jake could not stop himself from staring as Rich asked what he could help his aunt out with next. He had already known that Rich was strong and helpful- when he wanted to be- but this… maybe he never really saw it. He wondered if the SQUIP had prevented him from seeing this side or if he just had been oblivious. He swallowed, tearing his eyes away when Rich walked to put the wheelchair in the trunk. Why was he just getting hit with these realizations now? His aunt got into the driver’s seat, starting the car.

 

“Isn’t he a helpful little guy?” She looked back at her nephew in the mirror. Jake forced a smile, nodding. Rich was so much more than that.

* * *

 

“Do you actually need help with precalc?” Rich asked as they entered Jake’s room. His room was a similar size to his old room, but was much more bare. The only furniture was a bed, a dresser, and a desk with a MacBook Pro sitting on it. Jake pulled himself from the wheelchair onto the bed, considering Rich’s question.

 

“I could use some help, yeah.” He shrugged. “Can you pull that box out from under the bed?” He asked abruptly. Rich nodded, kneeling down. He looked under the bed, seeing a shallow cardboard box. He pulled it out, finding that the box had a couple of cans of beer and a lighter. He tossed a can up to Jake who caught it with ease.

 

“So we’re just chillin’?” Rich picked up a can for himself before pushing the box back under the bed. Jake nodded, popping open the tab of the can. Rich sat beside him, doing the same. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Rich eventually revealing that he had a few cans stored in his backpack. Jake noticed that Rich was chugging every can he got a hold of, a bit over-eager to drink lukewarm beer.

 

“Dude, slow down.” He nudged him. “I don’t want you gettin’ hiccups.” Rich laughed, laying back on the bed.

 

“Sorry.” Rich replied. “It’s…" he took another sip. "Alcohol was the only thing that shut that fuckin' voice up.” He looked up at the ceiling, a bittersweet smile on his face. Jake laid down after taking another swig.

 

“I only had that computer thing for, like, a minute.” Jake looked over at Rich. “But, like,” he wiped his mouth, a bit of beer foam distracting him. “I heard it was bullying you? All last year?” Rich let out a long exhale as though he had just taken a drag.

 

“I was a loser until it came along.” Rich stated simply, shrugging. “I mean, no one knew who I was until it started shocking me and yelling at me and all that stuff.” Rich laughed a little. “I wasn’t depressed the whole time. I had fun with you and Brooke and everyone. I just couldn’t say everything I wanted to you guys.” He mumbled, closing his eyes.

 

They lapsed into another slightly less comfortable silence. Jake remembered how his supercomputer or whatever that thing was was so happy to be in him. He did hear from Christine later that his experience was unusual. She told him about how for everyone else, the computer found whatever flaws it could and made the person feel like crap because of them. Jake wondered what his supercomputer would think of him now.

 

“What did your... shit, that computer thing look like?” Jake eventually asked. He figured it was the safest thing to ask about. He remembered overhearing that Jenna’s looked like Blake Lively. Rich gave a choked laugh.

 

“It’s dumb.” Rich shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s fuckin' goddamn pathetic too.” He groaned, pressing his thumbs against his closed eyes.

 

“If you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine.” Jake assured him, stretching his arms upwards. “I don’t even remember what mine looked like.” He pushed himself up, finishing off his beer. He heard Rich mumble something incomprehensible. Jake glanced over at Rich. Rich’s face was bright red, his arm covering his eyes.

 

“It was you.” Rich confessed. His voice was so quiet that Jake almost did not hear him. Almost. “Like…" Rich waved his arm around vaguely. "Shit, until I started being friends with you, my SQUIP looked like you. Then the bastard decided to look like my brother.” Rich's bitter words seemed to cut through the air like a knife. Jake froze, not knowing how to take this information. He thought the computer- SQUIP, he guessed it was called- just looked like famous people. He could barely comprehend that anyone would think of him like a celebrity, let alone someone he had considered his closest friend.

 

“Me?” Jake turned to face him completely, sounding completely bewildered. Rich groaned, face turning redder. “That’s- uh-” he waved his hand around, trying his best to come up with a good way to word his feelings. He wished that the drinks could let go of his cognition for a few seconds to keep Rich from freaking out.

 

“Fucked up?” Rich rubbed his eyes. “Creepy as shit?” Rich gave a strangled laugh, digging his nails into his cheeks. 

 

“No,” Jake reached over, shaking his arm. “Don’t say that shit, okay? I don’t think about you like that.” He insisted, pushing himself up and pulling Rich's arms away from his face, pinning his hands above him. He found himself leaning over Rich, his face just around a foot away from Rich's. Adrenaline seemed to be the only thing keeping him from feeling embarrassed over such a brash move. “I know I only knew SQUIP you, but I still thought-” he shook his head, smiling to himself. “No, I still know you’re cool.” Rich’s eyes finally met his, his face telegraphing his surprise to the man above him. “Dude, you dealt with killer AI in your head for over a year!” Jake insisted, his eyes focused on Rich’s hazel irises. “All I did was bang a lesbian and a fake transfer student!” He laughed a little, feeling his own eyes start to water.

 

“I thought you were cool!” Rich sat up a little, his voice panicked. “I- shit- I wanted to be you! That’s why the SQUIP was you for awhile. But you’ll always be cooler than me.” Rich looked away, feeling his cheeks burn further. Jake's brain finally seemed to inform him that he was literally pinning his friend to his bed like he was Christian Grey. He let go quickly, sitting up straighter to give Rich space.

 

“I was cool.” Jake looked at the beer cans on his bed. “But… I’m not anymore." He admitted. "I’m just Jake in the wheelchair right now.” His eyes settled on the black casts on his legs. “I can’t throw killer parties or go to any.” He smiled ruefully. “Honestly, my house burning down really showed who my friends are.” He looked at Rich. “And you’re still my friend. That’s cool ass shit, bro.”

 

Rich had clenched his hands into fists, shaking as he tried to suppress the urge to cry. Jake offered him another beer but Rich shook his head. He sniffed hard, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

 

“Fuck, dude.” Rich choked out a laugh. “That’s some of the nicest shit I’ve heard.” He looked over at Jake, his eyes shining wit tears. Jake smiled wider, feeling how full his eyes felt with unshed tears. Rich looked down at his shoes, continuing to sniffle.

 

“I’m trying to be better.” Jake leaned back. “I’ve been looking back and… just realizing I need to be better. Not because I have to, but... because I feel like I need to, y'know?” He felt Rich tap his arm.

 

“Same here, buddy.” Rich gave him a toothy smile. “Ready to douche your asshole?” Jake burst into laughter, shaking his head.

 

“Fuckin' phrasing, dude.” Jake shoved Rich, making the blonde laugh as well. "Of course I'll douche with you."

* * *

The two of them continued talking for the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening. Jake’s aunt and uncle let Rich stay for dinner, pleased with his manners and active helpfulness. Rich ended up staying the night, making fun of Riverdale while simultaneously getting heavily invested in the show. He passed out on the futon that they had set up beside Jake’s bed, snoring sporadically. Jake found himself staring at the ceiling, resisting the urge to look at his sleeping friend. It was damn creepy to watch someone sleep, but Jake was still tempted. He let out a long sigh, closing his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep.

 

_"Fuck, Rich?" Jake called, running back through his burning house. Everyone else was outside but Rich and no one knew where he went. He heard a loud scream from the basement. He bolted to the basement as fast as possible, following the sound of the scream._

 

_He saw Rich writhing on the floor, flames eating his clothing and searing his face. Jake was by his side, stripping him of his burning jacket and shirt as fast as he could. He gagged at the smell of burning flesh, picking up Rich regardless. Rich's breathing was weak, sending panic through Jake's veins. He turned back to the stairs but found them to have caught on fire. Jake looked around wildly for an escape, seeing a window just above the washing machine. He ran towards it, opening the window and shoving Rich through it. The window slammed shut again. Jake climbed on top of the washing machine, trying desperately to open it._

 

**_Wait._**  

 

_"This is a memory." Jake said slowly. He looked back at the basement, seeing the basement engulfed in flames. He took a deep breath, calming himself. He had time. He could do this without breaking his legs. He pushed the window open gently, not throwing his weight into the action. He pulled himself through the window, shimmying out onto the grass. He sighed in relief, flopping on the ground and closing his eyes._

 

_"Jake." Rich croaked from the grass beside him. Jake rolled over, smiling when he saw Rich. He had done this before, but in this new situation he wasn't in pain. He crawled over to Rich._

 

_"It's okay, buddy." He promised, cupping his unburned cheek. "I don't blame you." He leaned down, closing his eyes as he-_

 

Jake woke up with a start, panting hard. He blinked, trying to adjust his eyes in the darkness. His head and heart were pounding at the same time, making him growl in pain. He heard a groan from the futon beside him. He rubbed his forehead, looking over at Rich. He felt his heart settle in his chest when he saw the boy curled up on his futon. He flopped back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling again.

 

He knew it was weird to consider the person who burned down his house to be his best friend. He knew it was even weirder that he went back to save him and never actually blamed him for it. The only thing he did not know was why he felt so connected with Rich. They had similar tastes and good banter or whatever, but he had other friends. Yet he didn't have dreams about nearly making out with them after saving them from a fire. He groaned, rubbing his face. 

 

He had never told anyone about these dreams or about how much he missed hanging out with Rich. He knew he was projecting onto Jeremy when he told him that Rich and Michael were trying to make him jealous. He didn't know if he could be more jealous of Michael having Rich hang over him all day. He let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes.

 

One day, he'd tell Rich that he would do anything for him. He would climb any mountain, fight any monster, watch any cringe compilation just so he could see Rich smile at him again. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> E MO TIONS
> 
> Wow, that's a long chapter! Congrats for getting to the end of it! Now for some premature answers to possible questions!
> 
> 1) Rich's SQUIP???  
> Honestly, I originally had no definitive head canon for what Rich's SQUIP would look before writing this. The idea just popped into my head while I was writing this. I was thinking about people Rich would look up to and no celebrity really hit the mark. I think I was listening to Halloween or something when the idea that the person that Rich would idolize most would probably be Jake. The SQUIP probably noticed this and took advantage of it to get Rich to behave correctly. However, once the friendship with Jake formed, the SQUIP had to choose the second best person so that Rich would not get confused. While not that much about Rich's brother is revealed in the play, I head cannoned that his older brother probably is in college and is generally trying to stay away from the abuse at home. Therefore, Rich would want to emulate him in the sense of wanting to get out of his current situation permanently.
> 
> 2) Jake not being cool??  
> I feel like I stated this pretty well in fiction, but I would like to elaborate more. People do still think that Jake is cool: they are just having trouble interacting with him in the way they did before. Jake has also separated himself from his old group of friends mostly because he has a lot on his plate at the moment. So Jake is and forever will be cool, but there's only one person he actually wants to think he's cool at the moment.
> 
> Again, comment if there are any questions about the fic nagging you and I promise I will answer them in the notes. Thank you so much to everyone reading this, especially my star reader and my keen reader (I promise I'll thank you guys in person so you know who I was referencing). 
> 
> EDIT 5/13/2018: SO I UPDATED IT A LOT I'M SORRY, BUT I REALLY WANTED GIVE THEM MORE DEVELOPMENT SO THAT THE OTHER CHAPTERS WEREN'T AS RUSHED.
> 
> Have a lovely day/night/afternoon, lovely readers!  
> -Hope


	4. When You Love Somebody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after, consequences begin to pile up for Michael. A fight ensues between the heart broken sides, but the resolution to this fight would shock any onlooker.

“Do you hear something?” Christine asked Jeremy as she grabbed a textbook from her locker. Jeremy nodded, shifting from foot to foot anxiously. He had thought he heard the voices of two boys arguing, one of which sounded like Rich’s voice. However, Jeremy did not want to jump to conclusions: Rich argued with a lot of people. It probably was just him shouting at another person about his lisp.

 

“Oh! So it's a crime to hang out with my best friend now, is it?” Christine and Jeremy whipped their heads around, looking at the end of the hallway. It was clearly Michael’s voice yelling. They looked at each other for a brief moment before rushing towards the source of the sound. Jeremy looked to the right while Christine looked to the left. She grabbed his wrist, turning him to look at the two young men.

 

“No! But it's a crime to ditch your boyfriend at school without a ride!” Rich shouted back, standing on his toes in a futile attempt to be the same height as the man in front of him. Michael scoffed, rolling his eyes.

 

“How is that a crime?! I warned you!” Michael’s hands were on his hips, hiking up his jacket. “If you ever checked your phone, you would know!” He glared down at Rich, brows bunching together.

 

“You texted me last period!” Rich pushed him hard in the chest. “I need some warning before you tell me you’re hangin’ out with your Jer-Bear!” The students who had already been watching the argument gathered closer. Jeremy and Christine found themselves stuck behind a wall of students. They both tried their best to push through and get their friends separated before an actual fight broke out.

 

“I never call him that, babe.” Michael shoved him back. “Stop being so damn jealous!” He grabbed Rich by the shirt, pulling nearly an inch off the floor. “If you were that scared of me leaving, maybe you shouldn’t be spending the night with other men.” Michael hissed. Rich reached up, grabbing his ear and pinching hard. Michael winced, dropping him promptly. Rich dragged Michael through the crowd and into the boy’s bathroom. Jeremy went to follow just as the bell for the start of classes rang. Christine grabbed his wrist again.

 

“I’m going to go get the councilor. You got get to class.” She ordered, a stern look on her face. Jeremy looked briefly at the bathroom before nodding, running off to his class. Christine ran to the councilor’s office, hands balled into fists.

* * *

Rich slammed the stall door behind them, a frustrated look still on his face. Michael could not contain his glee, leaning down and capturing Rich’s lips in his own. Rich’s own lips turned upwards in a smile, returning the kiss. Michael wrapped his arms around Rich, swaying a little. Rich steadied him, putting his hands on his hips. They broke the kiss soon after, breathlessly laughing together.

 

“You’re better at acting mad than I thought.” Rich mumbled, his smile turning into a smirk. “Did you see Jenna’s face?” Michael chuckled, leaning against the door of the stall. Rich sat on the toilet seat, looking up at Michael eagerly.

 

“I did see Jeremy and Christine.” Michael’s smile faltered. “Shit, they looked pretty concerned.” He tried a smile, but guilt was clear on his face. Rich sat up straighter, realizing quickly he needed to comfort him.

 

“That means that the plan’s working.” He insisted, bright blue eyes scanning over Michael’s face. “Look, you plopped yourself in his tiny ass lap yesterday. Jeremy’s gotta make a move soon.” Michael barked out another laugh, resting his head against the plastic door.

 

“Nah, Rich.” He sighed. “Yesterday, he said that he’s happy I’m with someone who makes me happy.” He looked down at Rich, a half-smile on his face. “Besides, he and Christine are still together. You think he’d ditch Ms. Perfect for me?” He snorted, shaking his head. “You have a better chance with Jake.”

 

“Barely!” Rich laughed, rocking back and forth on the seat. “I fuckin' friend zoned myself when I was with Jake yesterday.” His cheeks were a little pink, remembering how Jake had pinned him to the bed. However, he knew Jake: it was probably an impulsive decision. Straight people could do things like that sometimes. Michael groaned, looking up at the tiled ceiling.

 

“Congratulations. We played ourselves.” The gamer said dryly. Rich leaned over, poking his thigh with his finger. 

 

“Hey.” Rich smiled gently at him. Michael did not look back. Rich kept poking his thigh until the other started laughing from contact, looking down at him. “This fight has to make Jerm flip half his shit.” Rich offered, shrugging. “You can tell him I’m the worst, you cry on his shoulder, he tells you to break up with your abusive boyfriend and you say hell yeah, Rich sucks at suckin' dick.”

 

“But you don’t.” Michael sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair. Rich knew his cheeks were turning a little pink: he wished that Michael would not say things like that so casually. “And I already told him you’re a good guy to make him… I don’t know!” Michael huffed, stomping his foot. “This whole fake relationship thing is getting really complicated.” His voice shook a little. Rich stood up, knowing he needed to act now.

 

“Dude, it’s going to be fine.” Rich reached up, cupping Michael’s cheeks. Michael felt his face heat up at the intimacy of the gesture.

 

Both of them knew that this relationship was not real and could not be real. They both knew the other was in love with someone else: that was why they had started fake dating in the first place. Over winter break, the two of them had hung out in Michael’s basement. At first, they just played whatever video games the other was trying to get them into until Michael's moms were gone so they could start smoking. Eventually, this lead to them confessing their feelings for their best friends. That lead to them complaining about how oblivious Jeremy and Jake were. Rich had just finished drinking a bottle of Mountain Dew Red when he turned to Michael and suggested they make the J's make a move.

 

 _“How?”_ Michael had asked, laughing through the smoke that he had just exhaled.  _"We have no fuckin' ammunition, shortie."_

 

 _“Well, we want what we don’t got, yeah?”_ Rich had replied, picking up the small bottle of tequila they had found next to the gutter near Michael’s house. _“We can make them want what they ain’t gettin’. Us.”_ He smirked, downing the bottle. Michael took another puff, considering the offer. _“Eh, it wouldn’t work.”_ Rich had continued. _“You probably suck at kissing.”_ He had goaded before Michael proved him wrong in a spontaneous display. 

 

“I know it’s going to be fine.” Michael finally replied, leaning into his hand. “Just… I feel weird lying to him about something this big.” He mumbled, his eyes still down turned. "I mean, he's my friend. I shouldn't be lying and hurting-"

 

Rich pulled Michael down, hugging him close and rubbing his back. He prayed that Michael did not feel how hard his heart was pounding. Rich knew this relationship was not real and could never be real. He knew that the boy he was holding in his arms did not want to be on real dates with him- he still had his doubts anyone really wanted to. It hurt to know that he could never tell Michael how right he felt in his arms. How he felt tingles after Michael kissed him. How… Michael was becoming his home.

 

Michael knew that he could never tell Rich that he treasured the time they spent cuddling. How nice it was to have someone who added to his jokes instead of just laughing at them. That when they cuddled in his bedroom, he forgot completely about Jeremy. That he loved liked the way that Rich kissed him- all that fire and passion sent tingles down his toes. That if he did not already know that Rich was acting-

 

Rich let go of Michael, allowing him to stand to his full height. Michael gave him a sheepish grin, attempting to smooth his hair down. Rich stood on the toilet seat, finally a few inches taller than Michael. He reached down, ruffling Michael’s hair to make it look more messy.

 

“We should probably let people know we were busy makin’ up.” Rich winked, his tongue flicking over his lips. Michael grinned as he reached over, ruffling Rich’s hair as well.

 

“Why can’t you ever apologize?” Michael teased, rubbing some of the gel out of his hair as he teased it up. Rich squawked, trying to fix his own hair. Michael laughed, starting to make it into a mohawk. Rich ducked out of his hands, leaning over and kissing him firmly on the lips. Michael reciprocated, smiling faintly.

 

“Because you’re better at blowing.” Rich mumbled against his lips. Michael lifted his foot up, hitting the lever on the toilet with his foot, making the toilet shake as it flushed itself of clear water. Rich gripped Michael’s shoulders, making a noise of alarm as his balance was thrown off. Michael picked Rich up gently, setting him on the floor.

 

“Yeah, but you’re a twink.” Michael snorted, kissing his forehead. Rich glared up at him, face pink as Michael pressed kisses down his face.

 

“I’m a twunk.” Rich grumbled, closing his eyes.

 

“Keep telling yourself that, babe.” Michael said before leaning down and granting his fake boyfriend another kiss.

* * *

Michael walked out of the bathroom first, a little blush on his cheeks and a dazed smile on his face. He turned to walk towards the classroom before he was confronted by Christine. His face immediately began draining of color. She huffed, her hall pass tucked under her crossed arms.

 

“Seriously, Michael?” She demanded. “Are you kidding me?” Michael pointed behind him apprehensively. “No! I went down to get the councilor because you two were causing such a scene. You’re so lucky he’s having a conference right now.” She berated, her own cheeks flushed with anger. Rich poked his head out of the bathroom, seeing the situation. He snuck off to class, wrapping Michael’s hoodie tighter around him.

 

“Christine, I need to get to class.” Michael attempted, coughing a little to make his voice sound less hoarse. While he knew it was because he was not used to yelling, he realized by the further reddening of Christine’s cheeks that she thought it was due to something much more lewd.

 

“And you and Rich-!? That’s how you solve every argument?” Her voice was hushed, but the anger and surprise were still there. “Michael-”

 

“I really have to get to class.” He ran off towards his classroom. Christine huffed, walking back to her class. She was concerned for Jeremy’s best friend: she did not want him in a relationship where things were so clearly off. She shook her head, closing her eyes.

 

She knew she did not need to be a hero, but was not ready to stay back and watch other people get hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your suspicions have been confirmed! Or you already knew because the breadcrumbs were basically half loaves of bread I dropped on your lap. But yeah, fake!Expensive Headphones is a thing. OR IS IT??
> 
> I can't think of any plot related questions you would ask, so for now I won't have any up. BUT I DO HAVE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
> 
> I know I have been uploading daily, but I am going to be taking a break over the weekend to get the next few chapters done and polished for y'all. By Monday, the chapter amount might change? I believe that will be a distinct possibility, but I would not count on it. 
> 
> Anyways, have a lovely day/night/afternoon/morning before class, everyone!  
> -Hope


	5. Do You Want Some Help?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rich knows he needs quality time with people in a healthy relationship. He reveals a startling secret to them and tries to learn how to cope with it.

Rich looked around the classroom, trying to find Jake. It should have been easy to find him, but Rich did not see him in his usual spot. He played with the hood of Michael’s jacket, worry about Jake making him more jumpy than usual. Rich leaned forward, tapping Brooke’s shoulder rapidly. Brooke turned around, her wavy blonde hair flipping over her shoulder. She gave him a polite smile, giving him her attention.

 

“Hey. Jake here today?” He asked quietly, tugging at the strings that tightened the hoodie. Brooke shook her head, her smile becoming more conciliatory

 

“No, he left second period for the doctor’s.” She whispered back, twirling her hair around her finger. “Getting crutches or something?” She shrugged, starting to turn back around. Rich tapped her shoulder again with a little more urgency. She turned her body back to face him again.

 

“Can I hang out with you and Chloe today?” He asked, leaning forward. Brooke smiled more, eyes sparkling as she nodded emphatically.

 

“Ye-”

 

“Goranski! Lohst!” Their teacher snapped. “Eyes up front! And take your hood off.” Brooke diligently turned back to face the front of the classroom. Rich sucked his teeth, loosening the strings on the hoodie. He pulled it back, revealing his hair again. He pulled out his phone, using Brooke’s back as a cover.

 

He remembered hazily from his morning with Jake’s family that the doctor’s appointment was today. Still, he wished that he could redo his… whatever that was with Jake yesterday. He guessed he had the rest of the weekend to drop by and maybe drop some hints. Today, though, he felt like he should hang out with his closest friends. He also figured Michael could use some more time with Jeremy.

 

He texted Michael his plan for after school before going back to work. He could not help but feel his heart skip after he saw the alert that Michael texted back. It was just a thumbs up, but he felt a happy flip in stomach when he saw it. He sucked his teeth, starting to put his phone away. He paused when he saw his phone light up again. His face turned bright pink when he saw it was a text from Jake.

 

**What do we have for AP Lit hmwk?**

**Also ya boy on crutches now!!**

 

Rich knew it was ridiculous to have this many butterflies in his stomach from two texts Jake definitely also sent to Brooke and Christine. Still, prior knowledge had never stopped Rich from messing up before. He swallowed, looking up at the board.

 

**ya we readin 997-1214 in Oedipus Rex**

**Also nice!**

 

He put his phone away before he could regret his word choice. The rest of class still had him agonizing over “nice”, trying to figure out what would have been better for him to say. Even during gym he was distracted, wondering if the fact that his response was so basic that Jake was not replying. It took him getting grazed by a basketball for him to shake himself out of it. He needed to practice patience, but it was hard to practice something that had almost never yielded results.

* * *

 

“Mom! I have a boy over!” Brooke called, holding onto Rich’s wrist. “It’s just Rich, but you wanted to know, so!” She added, already bounding up the stairs to her room. Rich followed as best he could, smiling regardless. Memories flashed through his mind: sneaking a backpack full of sex toys from Spencer's Gifts up to her room, watching Gossip Girl together, even talking about how hot guys at school were (within certain boundaries that his... product, had set). There had been good times despite the lies the pill had forced him to use.

 

Brooke opened the door to her bedroom, revealing that Chloe was already sitting on her bed and on her phone. Chloe was wearing the same top as she did in school, but she had swapped out her skirt for a pair of Brooke’s leggings. They were a little small on her legs, but all involved knew she did not care.

 

“Hey.” Rich walked in, sitting on the bed as well. Chloe nodded, acknowledging his presence. Brooke clapped her hands together.

 

“I’m going to go get some drinks. You two just talk, okay?” Brooke gave them both a dazzling smile before walking away. Rich shifted back, getting more comfortable on the bed. He jumped when he felt his phone buzz with a text alert. He pulled his phone out, seeing that the text was from Jake.

 

**Sorry for not texting back. Just busy practicing**

**Wyd**

 

At times like this, Rich wished his SQUIP was back to keep him from keeping his skin feel like it was on fire. He knew that he could just have self control, but it was difficult to build up a tolerance to Jake’s charm. He only name one person off of the top of his head that could fully resist his charms. Well, two, but Michael was impervious to most social threats.

 

“Jake text you?” Chloe asked dryly, examining her bare nails. Rich put his phone away, heart deciding to pound in full panic mode. Chloe laughed, shaking her head.

 

“Seriously?” She looked back at Rich. “Look, I get that Micha is a decoy, but I know five closeted gay guys that are hotter than both of them. And that's just in our area.” She hummed, filing her nails.

 

“I-” Rich shook his head, organizing his arguments as best as possible. “Look, Micha’s really hot so don't shit on him like that.” He ticked off one argument on his finger. “And I’m not looking for a fling with Jake. I want a whole… thing.” He ran his fingers through his hair sheepishly.

 

“Jake and long term relationships go together like Brooke and slut shaming.” She snorted, adjusting his headband. “I mean, like… you know that. You’ve been there for when he was with me, Zoe, Peggy, that one girl who used to our school that was also named Christine, Penny, me, that one cheerleader, Brooke for that one day, me again, Jenna for one damn second,” they both shared a laugh at the memory of that disaster. “Madeline, and our Christine.” She finished listing, taking a breath. Rich looked back at his phone.

 

“I know Jake’s history,” Rich mumbled. “Hell, I lived through it. And like,” he shook his head, a small smile on his face. He opened up Jake’s profile, looking at the picture of Jake he had put for it. Jake had struck a pose while wearing heart shaped shades that Brooke had found for him, a goofy smile on his face. “It matters, yeah. But I still love him.” Rich looked over at Chloe, still feeling his heart pound against his rib cage. "I've loved him for awhile and nothing's changed that, so..." Chloe leaned over, smoothing Rich’s hair down.

 

“Brooke and I don’t want you getting hurt.” She murmured. “And like, you’re always gonna run into crappy people whatever gender they identify as. I just don’t want you getting burned like I did.” She smiled sadly. Rich chuckled, shaking his head.

 

“Girl, I already burned him.” He snorted, tugging his shirt down. “We still get along, but I don’t know if I have a chance with him.”

 

“You’ll have more of a chance if you’re single, y’know.” Chloe snorted, scratching the small bits of nail glue that remained on the edges of her cuticles. Brooke entered the room with a periwinkle smoothie in one hand, a sickly green smoothie in the other, and a blue Gatorade tucked just under her armpit. Chloe took the periwinkle smoothie from her, kissing her cheek before taking a sip. Brooke smiled, tossing the bottled sports drink to Rich. He caught it with a grin.

 

“What have you two been talking about?” Brooke sat on the other side of Rich, taking a sip of her own smoothie without flinching.

 

“First of all, I called it.” Chloe announced. Brooke gave Rich an apologetic look. Rich shrugged, knowing that nothing could stop a gloating Chloe. “But Rich is worried that Jake might not like him back and I’m telling him he needs to break up with his fake boyfriend to get a real one.” Chloe finished before taking another sip of her smoothie.

 

“When were you planning to break up with Mikey?” Brooke asked curiously before sucking at her teeth to make sure no kale got on her teeth. Rich spun the cap off of his bottle, taking a swig of the drink. His face was already a little red. Brooke’s eyes widened. “Wait, did you even have a plan?”

 

“We were both high when we made that plan!” Rich protested after he swallowed. “I figured Jeremy would try to do something earlier!”

 

“Jeremy was barely able to make a move when his life depended on it!” Chloe shook his shoulder hard.

 

“He is a total pushover.” Brooke sighed, playing with her straw. “Besides, you two really do look like a happy couple together. Jeremy’s not jerky enough to try and get his friend to break up with someone who makes him happy.” She offered. Rich groaned, rubbing his face. Chloe looked over at her girlfriend, arching a brow. Brooke pursed her lips, quirking her head towards the frustrated teenager.

 

“So you also have a crush on weed boy.” Chloe asserted. Rich nodded a little. Brooke and Chloe shared a heavy sigh. “You just don’t make things easy for yourself, do you, Rich?” She groaned, rubbing her temples in an attempt to get rid of the headache that was on the horizon of her thoughts.

 

“No! And it sucks!” Rich whined, flopping back on the bed. “Michael is just- he’s so great! We can have a conversation about anything! And hot damn, have you seen that ass? I mean, it claps, it-”

 

“Too much!” Chloe announced, putting a hand over his mouth. Rich smiled under her hand, continuing to rhapsodize about the thickness of Michael. Brooke gave Chloe a pillow which Chloe used to put on Rich’s face, laying her stomach on it. Rich eventually slapped her side to get her off of him. She obliged.

 

“So you’re conflicted?” Brooke laid down beside Rich, folding her arms behind her head. “Huh. Have you made a pros and cons list?”

 

“I’m not gonna make a goddamn list.” Rich snorted, shaking his head. “I want someone that wants me for me and doesn’t want anyone else.” He looked over at Brooke. She smiled, kissing his forehead. He smiled, closing his eyes. “I don’t know how long it’s gonna take for Jake to pick up the signs, but I don’t mind waiting.” He mumbled. “I’ve already spent so much time figuring this out myself. What’s a few more months?” He shrugged, smiling faintly. “And if Michael and I get left behind… well… I won’t mind.”

 

“I don’t think Jake’s going to need too long to pick up your signals.” Brooke stated, tapping his nose. “From what I’ve heard, he’s already picked up on them.”

 

“What?” Rich sat up a little, clearly surprised. Chloe looked at her in surprise as well.

 

“How would you know?” Chloe asked, leaning forward curiously. Brooke grinned, putting a finger to her glossed lips.

 

“I just have a feeling.” She promised, blue eyes sparkling with knowledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the lateness of this chapter! Part of it was due to the site crashing every two minutes, the other part of it was because DAMN my weekend was busy. Anyways, as much as I would like to get the next chapter up by tomorrow, I doubt I'll get it done by then. Thursday or Friday would be my best bet. 
> 
> Anyways, I still am making good progress on this fic. Your comments and kudos have really given me the inspiration to do better by you. Again, don't be afraid to ask questions in the comments. Some that I've seen will be answered in the fic, but if you ever need anything clarified do not be afraid to ask.
> 
> Have a lovely morning/night/time just before a nap, my lovely readers!  
> -Hope


	6. You Gotta Get A...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a few hours before Rich has his therapy session with his closest friends, Jeremy and Jake were starting to realize some things about themselves

“Hey there!” Brooke waved up at Jeremy Heere from the gym floor, a dodge ball whistling past her ponytail.

 

Jeremy was currently sitting at the top of the bleachers inside of the gym, only now distracted from watching Rich and another classmate lob dodgeballs at the team Jeremy had been on until had suffered the same fate as Christine and a senior burnout: a dodgeball to the chest. His chest still hurt from how hard Rich had thrown the ball. He sometimes wondered if Rich was like that freshman year as well. Now, he looked down at Brooke in surprise. She most certainly had another class going on this period, so he had no idea why she was visiting him.

 

“Mind if I come up?” She pointed up at the spot next to him. 

 

“Uh, sure?” He looked for the gym teacher, wondering if they would be mad at this interruption. Brooke threw caution to the wink, walked up the bleachers, and plopped down beside him. “What’s up?” He asked, straightening his back out of reflex. Brooke pulled a pack of cinnamon flavored gum out of her backpack, offering a stick to him. Jeremy shook his head, smiling a little to soften the rejection.

 

“I just wanted to check up with you.” She stated, popping a stick in her mouth. “Especially after that fight this morning.” She added through bites, examining his expression carefully. Jeremy looked down at his sneakers, letting out a long exhale.

 

“It’s- I’m not upset.” He lied, holding onto the hem of his shorts. “I mean, I’m worried about Michael, but he said he’s fine…” his eyes found their way over to the other set of bleachers. Michael was sitting on the front row in a black tank decorated with cartoon marijuana leaves. He was cheering Rich on, a wide smile on his face. Jeremy could not help but feel a tug at his heart as Michael did a celebration dance when Rich caught a ball aimed at another member of his team. The last time he saw Michael do that dance was when they finished level nine for the sixty-ninth time. It was something only the two of them had shared… 

 

“I remember feeling like that.” Brooke smiled softly, swinging his legs. “When Jake and Chloe broke up for the first time, I was- like- pissed.” She combed her fingers through her hair. “I was tearing my hair out trying to figure out what Jake was thinking. Like, how could someone not see how great she is?” She huffed. Jeremy looked over at her. She looked back, smiling a little. “And then I was like: oh shit, I’m in love with her.” She laughed a little, twirling her hair around her fingers. Jeremy gave her a comforting smile.

 

“I’m so lucky that she felt the same way.” Brooke looked out at the gym, watching Rich blow a kiss at Michael after successfully taking two seniors out. She noticed someone from the bleachers looking up at them, but she decided not to pay them much mind for now. “Like… I don’t know what I’d do if I was stuck crushing on her forever.” She shook her head, sighing.

 

Jeremy nodded, chewing his lip. “That would suck.” He replied, shifting to look at her better. “But I would be really surprised if she rejected you. You’re awesome, Brooke.” He reassured. She giggled, leaning back and popping a her gum. 

 

“You’re really cool too, Jeremy.” She replied with a voice as sweet as her smile. “I hope you find someone who really cares about you.” She touched his shoulder, pulling him in for a hug. He blushed, hugging her back despite the embarrassment. Brooke’s suspicions were realized as she saw Michael looking up at them. She noticed his face change from clear jealousy to embarrassment as soon as they made eye contact. She gave him a friendly smile, mouthing ‘all yours’ before pulling away.

 

“Anyways, I should probably get back to class. I think your whole team might be put back on the court soon.” She chirped before heading down the bleachers. Jeremy waved goodbye, a confused flush still on his cheeks. What was that conversation?

 

He jumped when the teacher blew their whistle, signalling everyone on the bleachers to get up and get back on the court. He walked down, looking over at the other set of bleachers. Rich had hopped onto the bottom bleacher so that his angle for kissing Michael was better. Both of his hands were kneading Michael’s ass cheeks through his shorts possessively. Jeremy looked away, red-faced with… was that anger? He shook his head, picking up a dodge ball. He wanted the best for his friend, but he believed sincerely that Rich was not best for Michael.

* * *

 

“Jake!” Christine hissed from under the bleachers. “Are you still there?” She asked, tapping her foot nervously. She was not supposed to be on her phone during school, let alone during gym class. Still, she really felt like she should talk to Jake about this: he was one of the few other people at their table that she felt comfortable ranting to in general. 

 

“Yeah, just set my crutches down.” Jake grunted in reply. “So they fought this morning? About what?” He asked, not sounding incredibly invested. Christine had started pacing under the bleachers.

 

“Rich was mad about Michael ditching him yesterday, but I thought he had a good time with you?” She huffed, frustration flushing her cheeks. She had been certain yesterday that Rich had wanted to hang out with Jake during this time. She heard a shuffling on Jake’s side of the phone call, indicating she should take a breath.

 

“I mean, we did.” Jake mumbled into the phone. “At least, he said so and I felt it I guess. I didn’t know that he was still pissed about Michael ditching him last minute.” Christine ran her fingers through her hair, shaking it out. “Are they, like, talking to each other?” Jake asked. 

 

“This is what- ugh- I can’t!” Christine stammered, her face pink. “I went to make sure they were okay and then- just-” She squeaked out a bit of a stifled scream. She took a few deep breaths, calming herself. “Look, I think they might have had s- e- x in the bathroom.” She whispered into the phone. Jake did not respond. “You’re not supposed to make up like that!” She insisted, stomping her foot.

 

“Are you sure?” Jake asked quietly. Christine stopped pacing, confused by his tone. She had never heard him sound this serious before. 

 

“I don’t know for sure, but Rich was wearing Michael’s jacket and Michael’s lips were kinda puffy.” She mumbled, sitting down on the floor carefully. She listened closely for Jake’s reaction. The line was silent for ten seconds “Are you… are you there?”

 

“Christine,” Jake murmured. “I’m glad you’re keeping me updated.” Christine sat up, worry sending tingles through her spine. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she finally settled on what she wanted to say.

 

“You sound… upset.” Christine replied, looking up at the bottom of the bleachers. Everyone appeared to have left to join the rest of their team on the court. “What’s wrong?” She asked quietly, playing with the hem of her shirt. She heard Jake let out a long sigh.

 

“Please don’t tell anyone else about this.” Jake pleaded, voice almost quieter than before. Christine sat up, nodding vigorously.

 

“I won’t, I promise.” She stated, her heart hammering against her chest. She was rather sure she knew what he was going to say. “Go on.”

 

“I think- no, I know,” Jake said firmly. “I’m in love with Rich.” Christine gasped a little, eyes widening. “I saved him from the fire without even thinking.” Jake laughed a little. “People said I was a great friend, but I knew it was more than that. When we came back to school and he was dating Michael I… I just was so…” he trailed off. Christine waited for him. “Well, I was upset, but I wasn’t sure why. Yesterday, with Rich, though?” He chuckled softly. “Everything felt right. I couldn’t stop looking at him. He’s so goddamn beautiful, Christine.” Jake breathed. Christine was smiling ear to ear.

 

“Oh my god, Jake.” She nearly cooed, eyes sparkling. “You’re in love. I’m so happy for you.” She squealed. Jake laughed more and she could almost see him shaking his head.

 

“Chill out, Christine.” Jake sounded much happier than before. “It’s not a big deal.” He insisted. Christine laughed as well.

 

“Boy,” she leaned against the bleachers. “I swear, Rich has definitely been crushing on you for awhile.” She asserted, a wide smile on her face. Jake snorted, more shuffling noises heard.

 

“He’s with Michael right now, still.” Jake reminded her, gleeful tone fading. “It doesn’t really matter how he used to feel about me if he chose someone else.”

 

“You should at least clear the air between you guys.” Christine insisted. “I mean, he’s not obligated to date you or anything, but you should see if he does still have those feelings for you. From what I’ve heard, I’m pretty sure he does.”

 

“You’ve been listening to Jenna too much.” Jake insisted, a smile still in his voice. “Look, for now, just keep this to yourself. I’m still not sure about things, but if there is an opportunity-”

 

“Take it, okay?” Christine beamed. “I don’t want you two waiting any longer.” She looked between the bleachers, seeing that the teacher was about to blow the whistle that meant they could change back. She pulled her phone away from her ear, hearing one last sentence from him before she hung up.

 

“Trust me, I feel like I’ve waited an eternity.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THAT I'M SO LATE WITH THESE CHAPTERS!
> 
> School has royally been kicking my butt recently (as well as a poor sleep schedule, but if you're on AO3 reading a 10,000 word plus fanfic, I doubt yours is any better). I doubt daily uploads are going to be possible in the future. I'm still going to aim for that sweet two days between update margin just so that my baby doesn't get lost in the tags but you know how it is.
> 
> It also hasn't helped that other fanfiction ideas have been pouring into my head, so I guess check my page every once and awhile if you like my writing style and the "Magic Men Mystery" series. Who knows if I'll actually write the story or if I'll just continue to stew in the frustration that- CANONICALLY, BTW- a thirty-year-old man asked his best friend's twenty-year-old daughter to marry him when he's clearly in love with her father. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that some of your questions were answered. There's a lot of tension leading up to what's going to happen with the endgame ships and telling you guys this early... well, it might spoil your final experience. 
> 
> So... have a lovely night/morning/afternoon my lovelies. I'm gonna crash so hard.


	7. He's Not Half of a Pair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Christine confront each other about their relationships. Both come to a surprising realization. Featuring: Michael "It's My God-Given Right to be Gay and Dramatic" Mell and Christine "Why Can't People Just Talk to Each Other" Canigula.

Michael Mell wouldn’t say he had been actively avoiding Christine all day. Hell, he wouldn’t say that he had been actively avoiding her since Jeremy first started crushing on her. He just was always finding another place to be when she seemed to want to start a conversation with him. 

 

He didn’t hate Christine: he knew she was a great person. Hell, they were alike in a lot of ways and they probably could have been friends. Unfortunately, years of Jeremy gazing adoringly at her- while not her fault, Michael knew- was what fueled the jealousy that he harbored to this day. This avoidance had built up a sort of hotbed of anger and resentment under his generally happy surface. Whenever Christine attempted to start a conversation with him, it was like a drilling rig was placed on top of his calm exterior, poised to pull all of the undue outrage out of him.

 

So when Christine literally cornered him in chemistry during a paired project, he was more than a little freaked out. He wished he could have bribed the teacher to pair him up with literally anyone else, but he and Christine were both friendless in this class and seemingly no one was willing to trade partners. Now, he was stuck next to Christine, who had taken it upon herself to heat their test tube over the Bunsen Burner while ranting about his relationship with Rich. 

 

“That’s almost the definition of a toxic relationship, Michael!” She insisted, the blue flame creating a glare across her goggles. “Seriously, I am just searching for an explanation why I shouldn’t call the counselor on you guys.”

 

“They’d call Rich’s dad in and then he’d be outed.” Michael confided as quietly as he could. “Then there’d be a fight with social services and it wouldn't be...” he trailed off, stepping back when steam started billowing from the tube. Christine put the test tube on the rack, picking up the next with the tongs.

 

“Look,” she sighed, holding the test tube just above the flame steadily. “I don’t mean to get into, or spread, your business. I’m just worried about how well you two can resolve conflict.” She earnestly insisted. Michael held in an irritated huff. Shit. She was making fissures in the topsoil.  _ Just stay cool, Michael. Class will be over in twenty minutes, you can handle this. _

 

“I appreciate the help, but we don’t need it.” Michael stated as evenly as he could. “Rich and I are fine.” A little more terse than before, but it was fine. Christine put the tube down before it started to smoke, offering him the tongs. He picked up the next tube, beginning the process.  _ Seventeen minutes, you’ve got this. Ignore her, focus on the work. _

 

“Michael,” Christine picked up a tube with her gloved hands, swirling the liquid around delicately. “Even if this is your first fight, it was very public and really aggressive.” She looked over at him. Michael tried to ignore how concerned she looked, focusing on keeping his hand steady. “There are so many better ways to solve conflict, and it just worries me that-” She paused, seeing how much Michael’s hand was shaking. “Are you okay?”

 

“Fine.” He said through gritted teeth, putting the tube in the rack. He picked up the next, using his other hand to steady the one that was already shaking. He was not going to flip his lid.  _ Sixteen minutes. Could time move any fucking slower? As soon as I finish heating this tube, we’ll be focused on the lab and she won’t talk to me. I’m going to be fine. Everything's peachy goddamn keen up in this bitch. _

 

“I can take over, if you want?” Christine offered, reaching out to take the tongs. He shook his head, gripping it tighter.

 

“It’s fine.” He repeated, staring at the flame. Christine put her hands up, taking a step away. She started working on the packet where they reported their lab results. Michael took some calming breaths through his nose, putting the test tube away before the liquid began boiling. He turned the burner off, wiping his brow. He picked up his packet and pen, beginning to write down the results as well. He took a breath, a small smile on his face. He was going to survive this.

 

“I’m still worried about you and Rich’s conflict resolution.”  _ Oh come the fuck on. _ Michael’s plastic pen snapped in his hand from the sheer force. Ink exploaded on the table, droplets reaching Christine’s paper. She looked over at him in shock, seeing blue ink splatters on his glasses and ink drip down his clenched fist.

 

“Yeah, well how do you and Jeremy solve your fights, huh?” He snapped, glaring down at his paper. “You two probably just have some sweet musical number and dance around all la di fuckin' da. Unlike me and Rich who are just some dirty gays.” His hands were shaking even more than before, his cheeks almost burgundy as he spat the words out. Christine blinked rapidly, trying her best to process the reaction. 

 

“Wh- Mi- We don’t-” she stammered, face turning a little pink. “Jeremy and I broke up. Like,” she shook her head. “I mean, that was a while ago. I thought that you knew. But there wasn’t a fight- and he’s really bad at stating his needs.” She stood up abruptly in an attempt to keep from rambling too much. “I’m going to get some paper towels.” She walked off briskly. Michael held onto the broken pen, stunned for a couple of reasons.

 

Reason one: he actually yelled at Christine. He was always afraid of actually yelling at her but now he had done it. He was totally going to apologize to her later, but right now he was so stunned that that happened in his actual physical life. It was a long time coming, but he still felt rather bad for doing that. Still, he was having a hard time feeling anything due to the stunnage of everything else.

 

Reason two: Christine told him she and Jeremy weren’t dating anymore. He knew he def-o should have noticed, but he had been so busy trying to pull this ruse with Rich that he didn’t notice. This lead into reason two point five of the stunning, which was that he did not hear this from Jeremy. This was part of reason two because if he heard initially from Christine so by process of logic, he could not then first have heard it from Jeremy. But why didn’t he hear it from Jeremy? Why didn’t he hear this news from his best friend at literally any time before today?

 

Christine came back with a thick stack of paper towels and a tube full of wet wipes. She scrubbed the table, her breathing a little shaky. Michael finally unclenched his hand, taking the broken pieces of the pen of of his hand. Christine immediately got a clean paper towel, pressing it into the palm of his hand. Both of them winced when they saw what looked like blood appear on the towel.

 

“Oh, Michael…” she breathed, looking over at the hurt boy. He gave her a weak attempt at a reassuring smile. “I’m so sorry.” Her voice quavered. 

 

“No no no,” he shook his head. “It’s my bad, okay? I shouldn’t get that angry over you just trying to help.” He tried to wiggle his fingers but ended up hissing in pain. Christine pulled the towel back, looking at the depth of the cut.

 

“I shouldn’t have pressed you, though.” She sighed, combing her fingers through her hair nervously. “We should get you to the nurse, though.” Michael nodded, standing up. They alerted the teacher of the cut before hurrying down to the nurse’s office.

 

On the way, reason three continued bouncing around Michael’s mind. Reason three was more of a revelation caused by reason two. Reason three was he had been fake-dating Rich for nearly a month while both of the guys they were chasing were single. He and Rich could have dropped this charade and actually chased after those idiotically beautiful men.

 

“How… long have you two been broken up for?” Michael asked cautiously. Christine looked up at him, searching his face.

 

“Just before the first day of Hanukkah.” She admitted, looking back at the floor. “It was… we just realized it wasn’t working out. I care about him a lot, but everything I want to do just would separate us, you know?” She laughed a little. “I’ve got a lot of interests I want to pursue.”

 

“Yeah…” Michael looked down at his hand. Just three days later, he and Rich had concocted and had begun to enact their plan. “I wish he told me.” He said quietly. Christine knocked on the nurse’s door, waving goodbye when Michael was taken in for care.

 

The gears in Christine’s head had been turning for quite some time. Rich was never that great an actor- yes, due to the SQUIP he knew his lines, but that did not stop him from giving the most wooden performances she had ever seen. Despite that, Rich had sold his relationship with Michael pretty well. However, Christine had always taken note of the looks Michael gave Jeremy when he thought no one was looking. She had played with the idea of Rich and Michael fake dating, but she knew that was almost too melodramatic to be real. On the other hand, two months ago she did not believe that supercomputers would possess her classmates and herself. 

 

Christine walked into her chemistry class, thinking over the circumstances she was presented with: Jake was in love with Rich, who was “dating” Michael; Michael was “dating” Rich but was clearly still in love with Jeremy. She knew Rich probably liked Jake due to their history. The only person left was Jeremy. 

 

She smiled to herself as she sat back in her seat. She knew exactly how he felt. Oh, she simply could not **wait** to see how this played out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, AN UPDATE! 
> 
> I almost wanted to include in the summary "featuring: it's my god given right to be Gay and Dramatic Michael Mell" but that would be a little much. EDIT: thank you Bi_Spy_on_the_Fly for giving me the courage to actually add it to the summary.
> 
> So some news: I've been HELLA sick over the past four days. Friday I was like: Am I really sick, or is this just Insomnia hurting my body? Saturday was like: oof this is bad, but like.. still fine. Sunday: I COUGHED UP BLOOD. Now I thought that if I was sick, that would mean I would have more time to write, right? Nope, because my eyes just continued leaking. I was just crying as I coughed so hard that I seemingly blew a pound of snot out of my nose. But by Monday, I finally got enough energy to finish this chapter! Yay!!
> 
> Again, if you have any questions about character actions or character choices, please do not feel afraid to comment. It's so great to read all the sweet comments you guys leave. Continues to give me strength in these dark times. That and the fact that JOHN MULANEY RELEASED HIS NEW SPECIAL SIX DAYS AGO. John Mulaney is my headcanon of if Jeremy had enough confidence to tell jokes and he is my uncle. Not literally, but could you imagine if you were actually related to that man.
> 
> Anyways, have a lovely morning/afternoon/night/2 am waking up after a weird fever dream about spiders, you wonderful readers!  
> -Hope


	8. The Other Half's There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael wanted space to figure out what everything meant. Unfortunately, that was not in the cards for him today.

“Michael, bata,” Michael’s mother called from the kitchen as he entered their house. “Jeremy called me earlier asking if you were busy this weekend. He said he wanted to talk.” She informed. Michael groaned, dropping his backpack on the floor before he flopped on the couch. He heard his mother walk out of the kitchen but he kept his eyes closed, pretending he didn’t hear her.

 

He had avoided pretty much everyone for the rest of the day. He avoided Jeremy, despite how much he knew he needed to talk to him. He had talked to Rich in his car, telling him what happened. Rich had offered to stay with him so they could figure out their next move, but Michael had said no.

 

 _“I just…  I need to be alone. I’ll tell you before I do anything stupid.”_ He had told Rich. He had dropped Rich off and Chloe’s house. Rich had hugged him tightly before he left, whispering:

 

 _“If you start panicking, promise you’ll call me first.”_ Rich had squeezed him. Michael had nodded. _“Promise.”_

 

_“I promise.”_

 

“What’s wrong, baby?” The voice of his mother snapped him back to reality. She was rubbing his back in soothing circles. Michael could feel his glasses against his eyelids, could feel the wetness on his eyelashes. “Are you and Rich fighting?”

 

“No,” Michael pushed his face off the couch cushions, wiping his eyes. “We- we’re fine.” He shook his head, twisting around so he could lean against the armrest. “I just found out Jeremy forgot to tell me about something important.” He mumbled, taking his glasses off and scrubbing them clean.

 

“You should talk to him, then.” She pinched his cheek, jiggling it. “Jeremy is your best friend, yes?” She noticed Michael’s lenses were only getting more smudged. She took the glasses from him, cleaning them on her apron. “Friends work out their problems together. Avoiding each other will only hurt both of you more.” She warned, handing the freshly cleaned glasses back to her son. He put them on, relaxing a little.

 

“I know. I just don’t know if I can handle talking to him right now.” Michael confessed, pulling his knees close to his chest. “I’ve been so mad at all the wrong people for all the wrong reasons. The guilt has been crushing me and... seeing Jere might make it worse.” He mumbled into his knees. He heard his mother take a sharp breath in to srepond, but she was interrupted by her phone ringing. She pulled it out of her apron pocket, answering it with a sharp flick. He looked up when he heard a surprised tone as she greeted whoever was on the other end of the line.

 

“It’s for you, sweetie.” She offered the phone to him. Michael took it slowly, briefly glancing at the screen for any hint of who this could be. Unfortunately, the screen was black at the moment.

 

“Michael here.” He answered, a bit of forced cheer injected in his voice. He figured it was some scholarship person calling: he had gotten quite a few of those as application season drew closer and closer.

 

“Hey, Micha.” Michael swore his heart stopped when he heard Jeremy’s voice. He swallowed hard, his face paling. “I wanted to ask you this at school but I didn’t get the chance, and you weren’t answering your phone…” Jeremy’s voice was just as anxious as he usually was without a hint of malice in it. Still, Michael found his eyes start to sting with the beginning of tears.

 

“Yeah, it was-” Michael cleared his throat, trying to keep himself from sounding like he was crying. “It’s just been a rough day. Had my phone off. What’s up?” He tried to sound as cheery as he usually did.

 

“Is it okay if I drop by later?” Jeremy asked. “There’s some stuff I want to talk about with you.” Jeremy mumbled. “Face to face and… stuff.” His voice trailed off as the anxiety clearly made him second guess his decision.

 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, sure.” Michael sat up straighter, drumming his fingers on his knee. “When do you want to come by?” He felt his mother’s hand continue rubbing gentle circles on his back. “I’m free, like, all weekend.”

 

“Is today fine?” Jeremy replied. Michael jumped, the action making a tear jump from his eye and slide down his cheek. “I- I-” Jeremy took a few breaths. “It’s not super urgent. I just know if I don’t tell you now, I never will.”

 

“Sure.” Michael sat up. “Yeah, I- I mean, if it’s that urgent.” He looked over at his mother. She sucked in a hiss, clearly worried about how this situation could turn out.

 

“Okay. I’ll be there in ten.” Jeremy was clearly smiling, incredibly relieved by Michael’s choice. “See you then.” His voice was almost too hopeful. Michael smiled, shaking his head.

 

“Yeah, see you then.” Michael replied before hanging up. He wiped his eyes, leaning against his mother as she pulled him into a hug. She smoothed his hair down, shushing gently. They both tensed when they heard the door open.

 

“Mahal ko? Are you home?” Michael felt his mother sigh in relief: it was just her wife. “Michael? I saw the car outside.”

 

“We’re in the living room.” Michael’s mother called. His mom entered the living room, looking over the scene. She walked briskly over to the two of them, hugging Michael from the other side.

 

“Oh baby, what happened at school?” She murmured into his hair. Michael smiled faintly, closing his eyes.

 

“I’m fine, mama. It’s just been a long day.” He patted her arm. She let go, instantly putting her hands on his cheeks, making him look at her.

 

“If any gago tried to hurt you,” she warned, her dark eyes clearly serious. “I will do everything in my power-”

 

“Really, ma.” He plopped a kiss on her cheek. “I just need some space, ok?” He gave both of his mothers another hug before walking away. He could hear them whispering about what they thought was going on but he continued walking to his room.

 

He needed a smoke.

* * *

 

Jeremy rang the doorbell of Michael’s house, sticking his hands back in his pockets as soon as he had completed the action. His body was positively buzzing with nerves as he thought about all he wanted to say. Christine had confronted Jeremy during their shared AP Literature class about what had happened to Michael during Chemistry.

 

 _“Have you two talked? Like, at all?”_ She had asked. Honestly, now that Jeremy thought about it, they hadn’t. Last time they were together, Jeremy was more concerned about keeping their friendship intact instead of actually telling Michael about things that bothered him. He knew the night afterwards that he had not said all that was needed to said. He should have been more clear about his relationship with Christine. He should be more clear about-

 

His train of thought was interrupted when the door opened in front of him. Michael’s mother Chesa Mell- he had found out her first name when she had introduced herself to his dad-  was standing in the doorway. He had always been shocked with how much she looked like her son: the key differences being her lighter skin and blonde hair. Otherwise, she had his kind eyes, rounder face, and even his dark eyes.

 

“Jeremy,” she gave him a small smile, gesturing for him to come inside. He walked in, smoothing his hair back so he could get a better look at his surroundings. The Mell household was always just one spot off from being completely clean: a game controller laying on the rug in the living room, some rice splattered beside the legs of the dining room table, etc. He took his shoes off, putting them in the cubby that was set up next to the door. “Do you want a snack or…?” Jeremy shook his head, giving her a polite smile back.

 

“I’m sorry, but I just want to talk to Michael.” He informed, meeting her eyes. “Is he in his room?”

 

“Nah,” Michael’s voice was audible over the sound of flushing in the bathroom. “I’ll be out in a second.” Jeremy suppressed a combination of a groan and a grin, walking over to the couch in the living room. He sat down carefully, knowing that sometimes a Wii remote would get stuck between the cushions or pillows.

 

The bathroom door opened with a click. Michael walked out, droplets of water sliding down his face. He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, taking a breath to steady his nerves. He hated how jumpy he was feeling today- especially now that Jeremy was over at his home. _It’s probably just him telling me about his break-up. I can handle that. Be supportive and everything. I’m his friend. That’s all he wants._ He wiped the water off his face, exhaling through his flared nostrils.

 

He walked over to Jeremy, a smile on his face when he saw the top of Jeremy’s head. He could not help but feel his heart lift when he saw him. He would tease Jeremy about how he would croon Christine’s name when she walked by, but there were times when he felt a similar impulse. The only reason why Michael wasn’t dropping out or transfering to another school was because Jeremy was there. Jeremy just blessed his life with his overeager cuteness and shy handsomeness. He wasn’t ready to lose that.

 

“Michael.” Jeremy stood up after seeing him out of the corner of his eye. He laughed a little, walking around the couch and giving him a hug. Michael hugged back reflexively, closing his eyes. “You smell like weed.” Jeremy murmured in his ear, making Michael laugh softly. “How much have you had?”

 

“None.” Michael sighed. “Finished off my stache yesterday, apparently. My sheets still smell like it, though.” He pulled away. Jeremy laughed, shaking his head. “Wanna talk in my room?” He asked, jerking his head towards it. Jeremy nodded, heading off towards the room in question. Michael followed behind, nervousness sending a buzz through his body. When they entered his room, Michael pulled the door nearly closed, leaving a crack open just in case.

 

Jeremy was familiar with Michael’s bedroom: knowing which parts of the room were hiding money, weed, or the list of passwords he had for different illicit websites. He chose to sit on his wheeled computer chair. Michael flopped onto his bed, bouncing a few times before he was comfortably slouched against his stack of pillows.

 

“So, what did you want to tell me?” Michael asked, combing his hair back to keep it out of his face. Jeremy’s eyes followed the movement, his breath briefly catching in his throat. He blinked a few times, looking back down at his folded hands.

 

“Yeah. Uh,” Jeremy’s knee started bouncing involuntarily. “I never actually apologized for what I did to you while the SQUIP was around.” Jeremy looked up, meeting Michael’s eyes. Michael’s eyes were wide in surprise, clearly not expecting him to say that. “Michael, I’m so sorry.” Jeremy’s voice shook slightly, digging his nails into the palm of his hand. “You deserved a friend who would believe you and I- I just pushed you away even when that- that thing wasn't even active.” His heart pounded against his ribcage. “I’m s- so lucky to be friends with someone who- wh- who’ll t- tell me the t- truth and- and-” he looked down, face burning as he tried to move past his stutter. “I don’t know why you-”

 

“Oh my god, Jeremy,” Michael got up, walking over to him and kneeling in front of him. “I don’t deserve you! I gave up on you when you pushed me away.” His own eyes were beginning to water. “If it wasn’t for your dad, I wouldn’t- you would’ve-” his own voice caught in his throat, dual tears falling down his cheeks. He closed his eyes, pursing his lips together as he tried to keep from crying more.

 

Jeremy gasped when he saw the tears fall down Michael’s cheeks. He cupped his cheeks, wiping the tears away with his fingers. Michael’s eyes fluttered open again, tears clinging to his eyelashes. Jeremy gave a choked off laugh, holding Michael’s face in his hands.

 

“Micha, p- please don’t cry.” He wiped away another errant tear. “It’s my fault, but I want to fix it. I- I- I want to be b- better. F- for you.” He promised, his cheeks pink. He took a shuddering breath, resolving to keep moving forward. “Th- that’s ki- kinda why Christine th- thought we w- weren’t working out. B- because the only p- person I want to t- talk to an- an- and hang out with and be with?” He closed his eyes, laughing as he shook his head. “That’s you. Michael goddamn Mell. My best friend. The person I love.” The truth came out of him like a breath of fresh air. His heart felt lighter as he said the words that had been buried under years of self-doubt and denial finally made their way out.

 

Michael did not know if he could be more shocked. Jeremy had just confessed that he was in love with him. He swore he felt his heart stop when the words fell upon his ears. He gasped for air, trying to figure out what to say. Jeremy opened his eyes, seeing the distress on Michael’s face.

 

“Of course I found out all of this when you find someone.” Jeremy said softly. “Even though I… I’m worried about you and Rich, I realize that you love hi-” Jeremy was interrupted by Michael’s mouth crushing against his own, his hands gripping Jeremy’s collar. Michael’s eyes were closed tight, tears still streaming down his face. All he could think of was Jeremy: stuttering, stupidly beautiful Jeremy who deserved better than the pathetic liar friend that had been desperate to kiss him for years. There were so many things he wanted to say that he _just couldn't say unless I wanted to lose him_. He nearly opened his eyes when he felt Jeremy reciprocate the kiss.

 

Jeremy had no idea what was going through Michael’s mind at the moment. Hell, he didn’t know why he wasn’t asking questions right now. What he did know was that he wanted this: he wanted Michael’s lips against his own. He wanted Michael to kiss him with that fiery passion he had only seen glimpses of. He wanted Michael to hold him like he was never going to let him go. He wanted to show him that he wanted him just as much as Michael seemed to want him. Jeremy slid out of the chair and into Michael’s lap, threading his fingers through Michael’s hair. 

 

Michael tried to keep it somewhat chaste, but his hands let go of his collar to slide down his sides. Jeremy took one of his hands out of his hair, guiding Michael's hands to his ass. Michael groaned against Jeremy's lips, squeezing Jeremy's cheeks in short bursts. Jeremy bit Michael's lip as a reflex to stifle his moan, his hands tightening their grip in Michael's hair. Michael whimpered at the actions, his heart pounding in his chest. _I love you, I love you, I love you Jeremy goddamn Heere._  Michael started sucking on Jeremy's lip, feeling his ~~friend~~   ~~lover~~   _Jeremy_ grow limp in his hands. They broke apart a few seconds later, panting for breath. Jeremy’s face was blotchy, yet a dazed smile was on his face. Michael leaned down, laying a few tender- if wet- kisses on his neck. He took a sharp breath, smelling a hint of Old Spice deodorant.  _That's the same kind Rich uses..._  Michael felt the guilt of the moment crash down upon him. He pulled away from Jeremy, putting his hands on the floor. Jeremy fell out of his trance, seeing Michael's distress.

 

“Michael, what-” he tried but he was cut off by his phone ringing. He bit his lip, pulling his phone out. He winced, seeing his father’s icon on the screen. He answered, guilt clogging his throat as he watched Michael's face seem to fall further.

 

"Hey, I'm kind of busy..." Jeremy confided into the phone, glancing away from Michael. 

 

"Son, your mother's home." Mr. Heere's voice was more serious than he had heard in years. Jeremy winced, biting his already starting to swell lip. "She's... she's anxious to talk to you."

 

"Okay, I- I-" he cleared his throat. "I'll be back soon." He hung up, pinching the bridge of his nose. His mom had been popping by occasionally to make sure Jeremy was on track college-wise. Apparently, she cared about his future now, so that was great. He had to be there to give his father the courage to tell her to leave them alone.

 

“I have to go.” He stood up, tugging his shirt back down. “We'll- we should-?” He stammered, looking down at Michael. Michael nodded slightly, tears still streaming down his face. Jeremy knelt down, moving to at least pat his shoulder but Michael moved out of his range.

 

“J- just go.” Michael hiccuped, shaking his head. “Jeremy just… leave. Please.” Jeremy stumbled backwards before turning around and walking out of Michael’s room, guilt making his breathing ragged. His heart was in his chest as he attempted to weigh his options: was this the right decision? Leaving Michael in an emotionally vulnerable state while he saved his father from emotional warfare? 

 

Michael clutched his shirt, whining as he tried his best to get rid of the pain in his heart. He had a chance with Jeremy but he threw it away. He had a semi-relationship with Rich that he was willing to throw away. Who was he? Was he just a slut for whatever cute white boy that gave him a chance? He wanted to believe that he deserved the love of Jeremy but did he? Trying to make Jeremy jealous for a month, mentally  _begging_ for Jeremy to be more jealous of Michael being separated for him, and then making out with Jeremy as soon as he was emotionally vulnerable: how fucked up was that? He didn't deserve anyone's attention: he barely deserved to live.

 

Michael took a shuddering breath, realizing that he was in the middle of a panic attack. He managed to pull his phone out of his pocket, hands shaking hard. He could barely see the screen through his watery eyes, yet he managed to find Rich's contact regardless. Part of him just wanted to send a text, but he knew how important it was to call Rich. He tried to breathe more evenly while he waited for Rich to answer. He only had two rings to fail that attempt.

 

“Michael? Are you-” Rich started before hearing the ragged breathing and teary hiccups. “I’ll be over in five. Stay on the line.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHAAAAA I'm so tired.  
> This took me so long to write and I have been ignoring all my homework SO HARD  
> But I wanted to make this chapter sooo bad and needed it to be up to my standards. The standards mostly being tearing people's (myself included) hearts out. I can't promise the next one will be out by Monday, but I can promise it will resolve the HEAVY amount of angst I left you with.  
> EDIT: I'll also probably end up editing this chapter A LOT over the next couple days as well? I did finish writing this at nearly one in the morning  
> Have a lovely day/night/whenever you decided to suffer, my dear readers  
> -Hope


	9. Everything About Him Is Wonderful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rich comes back to pick up the broken pieces. He soon realizes the benefits of honest communication.

Rich was not used to comforting people. He, himself, was not comforted that much as a child. Sure, his mom would put some nesborin and a band-aid on a cut or reassure him after a nightmare, but his family was more or less a tough-it-out kind of family. He had managed to ignore his hurt and pain for awhile, but high school was what made him start contemplating suicide. 

 

Even though the SQUIP was an abusive little computer, there were times when it would actually make him happy. It would pull up memories of times with Jake, Chloe, and Brooke and show him how strong his social links were now. When its face had been Jake, it would hold him close and promise him that everything would be okay. Some of his happiest moments over the past few years were actually because of the stupid pill. Did those moments make up for the amount of torture it put him through? Hell no. But when faced with a sobbing Michael on the floor of his bedroom.

 

“Michael, Michael,” he knelt in front of him, leaning over and smoothing his hair back. Michael looked up, his glasses wet from being pressed from his face. Rich smiled softly, leaning forward and kissing his forehead. He scooped Michael up in his arms, placing him on his bed. He sat beside him, rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him. His jacket was damp from sweat, clearly from the exertion of crying. Michael took his glasses off, hiccuping hard. 

 

“I’m such a fuckin' idiot.” Michael laughed harshly, looking down at the black frames. “A stupid-ass, shit-for-brains, motherfuckin' fool.” He shook his head, wiping his nose with his jacket sleeve. Rich grabbed his shoulders.

 

“Shit, bitch, no! Not to me.” Rich shook his shoulders. “Or your moms. Everyone who remembers the SQUIPcident thinks you’re fuckin' awesome.” He insisted, shaking him a little harder. Michael shook his head, wiping at his eyes with the heel of his hand.

 

“Not to Jeremy.” Michael moaned. “He’s going to hate me any minute now.” He sniffled, hugging his knees to his chest. “He’ll realize that I cheated on you and then he’ll realize I was lying about the relationship and then he’s going to leave me again.” His voice was quavering. “And it’s my fault this time.” Michael put his head in his knees, shoulders shaking. 

 

Rich got up, grabbing a tissue box from Michael’s desk. He wrestled Michael’s hand open, pressing the tissue into the palm of his hand. Rich rubbed his forehead, taking a few calming breaths. Chloe was practically screaming in his ear to ask the question. He groaned, scratching at his scalp furiously.

 

“Was this… thing, real between us?” Rich asked aloud. Michael looked up from his knees, cheeks shining. Rich looked back at him, feeling his heart twist. “You said that he’d realize you cheated, and I just need to know if you felt that… way about… me.” He looked away, feeling self-consciousness clutch at his throat to keep him from saying any more. He felt the weight on the bed shift.

 

“I don’t know.” Michael’s voice was ragged. “I mean, it’s been great being with you. Not just the," Michael's throat started closing as well, but he cleared his throat. "Yeah, but I just-” he took a shaking breath. “If it was, I was a horrible boyfriend because all I was thinking about was Jeremy every time we were together.” He took a pause to blow his nose. Rich looked over at the blotchy eyed Michael. “I kinda noticed, though,” Michael continued, folding the tissue over. “That you liked me. I mean, you're not subtle.” He attempted a laugh, but it died as quickly as it started. “And it was so horrible because I knew I was hurting you but you kept going on about the plan? I didn’t know how to get out!” 

 

“Shit, Mikey,” Rich caught himself before he went in to hug Michael again. Michael blew his nose again, looking down. “I’m sorry for dragging you through all this.” He sighed. “We both royally fucked this pooch. Buncha damn furries runnin' around because of our dumb asses." He got a teary laugh from Michael. "But I don’t think Jeremy hates you. I mean, you told me he said he loved you.” He insisted, touching his knee. Michael smiled to himself, playing with his tissue. “And you love him too, so you’re golden.” He slapped his knee, grinning from ear to ear. Michael yelped at the sudden slap, looking up at Rich. Rich leaned over, pulling Michael into another hug.

 

“I swear, it’s gonna be okay.” Rich assured, rubbing his back gently. He felt Michael relax under his hands, melting against him. “I promise.” He murmured, pulling Michael into his lap. He rocked him gently, laying him back against his pillows once he realized he was asleep. He tucked Michael in, a small sigh leaving his lips.

 

He was happy for Michael and wished him the best. Still, Rich hoped that he would not be left behind as another couple seemed to sail off into the sunset.

* * *

 

Jeremy woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He groaned, rubbing his eyes when they caught the morning light. He looked over at his phone with dread, feeling the shadows under his eyes. 

 

He had barely gotten any sleep last night, probably crashing around three in the morning. His mother had spent all of dinner arguing with him about custody and how his father had not really been taking care of him. Jeremey eventually had to yell at her to get out and come back with a lawyer or else he would call the police. His dad had thanked him for his help, but Jeremy was so drained at that point that he headed straight to bed to process what happened. Every time he closed his eyes, he thought back on Michael crying on the floor of his room. In an attempt to stave of nightmares, he would check his phone. Unfortunately, every game, photo, or video served as a reminder of Michael or of Rich. 

 

It did not help that around twelve, he had started hallucinating that Keanu Reeves was hovering over his body. He had bolted out of bed, grabbing a can of Mountain Dew Code Red from the back of the refrigerator and chugging it. The fear of the return of the SQUIP and the caffeine in the drink was enough to give him a borderline sugar high.

 

He dragged himself to the edge of the bed, reaching over towards his phone’s charger cord. He pulled his phone up by the cord, seeing Rich’s contact on the screen. He groaned, closing his eyes: this was not what he wanted to wake up to. He swiped his thumb on the screen, figuring it was the ignore option. 

 

“Jeremy!” 

 

Obviously not.

 

“What’s wrong?” Jeremy asked through a yawn, flopping on his back. He was too tired to argue or defend: if Rich knew, he was ready for the whooping he probably was about to receive. He frowned when he did not hear a reply. “Rich? You there?” He opened an eye.

 

“Dude, it’s my fault.” The words were a near incomprehensible jumble. Jeremy sat up, rubbing his head. 

 

“What did you say?” Jeremy asked, the headache from the sugar high the- night? Morning?- before interfering with his hearing. Also, Rich’s machine-gun fire talk combined with his lisp made it almost impossible for people to understand him.

 

“It’s all my bad, dude.” Rich repeated. “Michael wasn't cheating 'cause Michael's single and that's because we were fake dating." Rich rushed out, taking a moment to breathe before the next sentence. "I thought if we were off the market, you and Jake might get jealous.” Rich gave a brief humorlous. “Such a SQUIP strategy, I know. We should’ve just been honest, but we were both sending signals and you guys just weren’t getting it.” Jeremy could hear Rich flop against his bed. “Michael agreed, but he wanted to tell you the truth. Yo, he’s an awesome dude, Jeremy. I mean seriously! He’s kind, he’s sweet, he is dedicated, has a thick as-”

 

“I know! That’s why I kissed him!” Jeremy interrupted, rubbing his temples. “I- that was n- not great of him- of you two- to do, but I st- still like him!” He hated how whiny his voice sounded, but he was telling the truth. “Y- you do- don’t have t- to convince me of anything, Rich. This… changes a li- little, but I u- understand h- how the SQUIP is.” He sighed. “I saw mine earlier.”

 

“What?!” He heard a thud and an swear from his phone speaker. Jeremy sighed, putting his phone a few more inches away from his ear.

 

“Yeah, but he’s gone now.” Jeremy mumbled. “I probably just stayed up too late and started seeing things.” Jeremy sighed, rubbing his face. “B- but dude," he rubbed the sides of his forehead, trying to get his brain to work. "I want to know if you, y- y’know… liked him.” Jeremy asked quietly. He heard Rich take a breath.

 

“Dude, I did have my eye on him for a bit.” Rich snickered. “Kinda like how Christine liked Jake. Only I like Jake, and I actually got past third base with him.” Jeremy could almost hear the smirk on his face. He felt his own face heat up as his mind replayed all the times he had walked in on them making out. While it was only around three, they still sent a spark of jealousy down his spine. “But he likes your tall ass, so don’t your boxers in a knot.”

 

“Uhh, you said you were tr- trying to make Jake jealous t- too, right? I think he already was.” Jeremy said as casually as he could, not wanting to linger on that awkward topic. He heard Rich give out a mix of a squawk and a scoff.

 

“How would you know? Is this coming from Rolan?” Rich demanded. Jeremy laughed to himself, shaking his head. 

 

“Remember Wednesday when Jake dragged me out of the lunchroom?” Jeremy asked, looking up at the ceiling. “He called it. But he thought you two were just actin’ like a couple for me.” He heard Rich splutter. Jeremy resisted a smile, closing his eyes. “An- and Jenna s- swore you were cheating on Michael with Jake ‘cause he saved you from that fire-”

 

“I gotta go.” Rich interrupted abruptly before hanging up. Jeremy dropped his phone on his chest, yawning again before snuggling up with a pillow. One more hour of contented sleep and then he would talk to Michael.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAN this took longer than I thought it would, but I am pretty satisfied with this product. If you haven't noticed the word count uptick recently, it's because I edited not just Chapter Eight but also Chapter Three to add a little more backstory and such. For everyone who came here for Arson Bros, I promise you the next chapter will be pure, unadulterated RichJake feels. 
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking with me and getting this to 1000 hits! This is the first time I've gotten so much love for one of my works and I have you all to thank for it. Mwah mwah mwah!!
> 
> Have a lovely day/night/study hall where you're making sure the teacher is chill, my dear readers!  
> -Hope


	10. It's Impossible To Narrow Down The Many Reason Why*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake gets a surprise visit.

Jake looked down at his phone, squinting at the texts Rich had sent him. It was weird to get a text at nine minutes past eight on a Sunday with no prompt whatsoever. He yawned, rereading the words for a fourth time.

 

**Dude is ti ok if i visit you rn?**

***it**

**Screw it, ill be there in five min**

**Its importatn**

 

It had been three minutes since he had received the last text from Rich. He was still in an oversized t-shirt and his boxers and his hair was not at his best. It took him more than three minutes to shower and get clothes on over his leg casts. He knew Rich would understand, but he still wished that he could have gotten more of a warning.

 

Jake moved to the edge of his bed, pushing his legs over the edge. He combed his fingers through his hair, styling it to look like it did every day. He rubbed under his eyes, hoping he did not look too tired. He paused the motion, considering the thought that just crossed his mind. 

 

Since when was he worried about what he looked like to Rich? He knew now that his feelings towards Rich were more than friendly, but he had never found himself getting nervous about anyone he had feelings for judging his appearance. If they didn’t like the way he dressed, he didn’t want to be with them, simple as that. Rich was making him feel… different, for some reason. It was exciting, to say the least.

 

He jumped when he heard the front door slam shut. He wondered if he had really been zoned out for so long that he did not notice the door even opening in the first place. He messed with his hair a little more, feeling his hands start to shake. He closed his eyes, taking a few breaths to keep his cool. He heard a few sharp knocks on his door.

 

“It’s Rich! Are you decent?” Rich called, nervousness accentuating his lisp severely. Jake smiled to himself, feeling a wave of affection roll through his body. 

 

“Yeah, I’m decent.” He called back. Rich threw the door open, his eyes wide and wild. He was wearing his fading Muppet's shirt and frog pajama pants. Jake smiled, looking the outfit over again. “You ran here straight from bed?” He asked, a mix of impressed and concerned; it was a dry winter, but it was still below thirty outside.

 

“Sh- shut up!” Rich kicked the door shut with a sneakered foot. Jake could not help but jump at the sudden sound. Rich ran his fingers through his messy hair, his cheeks a dark shade of red. “I swear to fuckin' God, Jake, I’m going crazy.” He mumbled, rocking back and forth on his heels.

 

“What’s the problem?” Jake asked, leaning forward. He noticed Rich holding onto the side of his neck which had suffered third degree burns. He wished he could assure Rich that he didn’t care about the scarring, but he didn’t want Rich realizing how aware he was.

 

“So- uh-” Rich smoothed down the flyaway hairs sticking out from the sides. “I was talkin’ to Jeremy an’ he said that you thought me an’ Michael were faking?” Jake felt himself freeze up. Rich’s eyes were on him, yet his expression was unreadable. Jake sighed softly, dropping his eyes.

 

“I said that.” He admitted, heart thumping in his chest. “I’m so sorry, Rich. That was-” his voice caught in his throat when he felt Rich’s hands on his face, tilting his head up. A huge smile was almost splitting Rich’s face, his baby cheeks almost hiding his eyes.

 

“You were right. It wasn't real.” Rich confessed. “Jake, it was- it was so wrong for me to do.” His voice cracked. Jake noticed how wet Rich’s eyes were now. Panic started spreading from Jake’s chest outward. He put his hands on Rich’s face, squeezing his cheeks briefly. Rich hiccuped as the tears rolled down his face. “I was trying to manipulate you b- because I was too chickenshit to t- tell you the tr- truth. I was s- so goddamn desperate for your attention-”

 

“You had it.” Jake insisted, a laugh bubbling out of his throat. “Shit, Rich, you’ve always had my attention.” He wrapped his arms around his neck. “I was chickenshit as fuck, dude. I ignored the fact I liked you until you were with Michael.” He smoothed his thumb over the edges of Rich’s scar. Rich’s eyes were wider than he had ever seen before. 

 

“Dude, what?” Rich exhaled, his eyebrows raised high enough to crinkle his skin. Jake pulled Rich a few more inches down, tilting his head up and kissing him. He played with the hair on the back of his neck, keeping the kiss tender until Rich reciprocated. When he felt no response, he pulled away.

 

“I love you, dude.” Jake informed gently. “No joke, no lie. That’s how I feel about you.” He continued tracing the edges of his scars, his eyes following the curves. “I know you mess up and you have hang ups, but I know you’re trying. You’re always trying to improve and be better and that’s… awesome.” He chuckled, meeting his eyes. Rich’s mouth was hanging open in shock. Jake smiled softly, looking down and pulling his hands away. 

 

“Wh- can-” Rich dropped onto the floor, putting his head in his hands. “The whole time- we could’ve-” Rich scratched at his scalp furiously, dandruff falling like snow from his hair. “Jake…” he looked up at him, a small smile on his face. “You better not be yanking my dick.” Jake gave an exasperated sigh with a smile, shaking his head. 

 

“I thought you'd like-” Jake started before getting cut off by Rich jumping up and kissing him. Jake closed his eyes with a smile, wrapping his arms back around Rich. Rich reciprocating was even better than he had imagined: the heat and reckless passion that he brought into every activity was now focused only on him. Rich’s hands were fluttering over his chest, shoulders, and hair, clearly unsure where to hold onto. Jake slid his hands down to Rich’s waist, squeezing his hips gently. Rich laughed against his lips, breaking the kiss.

 

“I like you too.” Rich murmured, plopping into Jake’s lap. “I want to make that hella clear.” He ran his fingers through Jake’s hair with a sense of reverence. Jake leaned into the touch, smiling serenely. Rich huffed, smiling regardless. “Stop lookin’ so damn cute.”

 

“Or else?” Jake teased, opening an eye. Rich pinched his cheeks, pulling them. Jake swatted at his arms, laughing. Rich let go, grinning from ear to ear. “Worst punishment ever, Rich.” Jake hummed cheekily, pecking his lips. Rich laughed, chasing his lips. Jake granted him another kiss, rubbing the small of his back. They fell back on the bed together, the smaller boy straddling his hips. Rich eagerly sucked his lower lip, encouraged by the soft moans he heard from Jake. He nibbled his lower lip, groaning when he felt Jake's hips stutter upwards against his own. He managed to ignore the desire to grind back, simply deciding to continue making out with the stupidly handsome jock under him.

 

“Feels like a dream.” Rich breathed during one of the rare spaces where they separated for breath. Jake hiked up his shirt, pinching the skin over his hip bones. Rich yelped, grinning regardless. “Thanks, babe.” He mumbled, moving in for another kiss. Jake put a finger to his lips, feeling Rich pout against the skin.

 

“Babe?” Jake repeated. Rich’s face turned a little pinker than before, clearly just realizing what had slipped out of his mouth. “I don’t mind, but do want  me to use pet names too?” Jake clarified, rubbing the smaller boy’s back. Rich sucked his teeth, looking at the closed curtains in front of the window.

 

“If you want to, yeah. But I don’t mind if you call me bro and dude,” Rich nodded, looking down at him. “Just don’t call me bro when we have sex and I won't break up with you.” He smirked, eyes twinkling.

 

“When we have sex.” Jake mused, rubbing his sides in slow circles. “I like the sound of that, bro." His smile was still stuck on his face despite Rich hitting him with a pillow. Nothing would make him happier than the fact that Rich wanted him just as much as he wanted Rich. Nothing had ever made Jake feel more happy than when Rich snuggled up beside him, looking up at him as though he was the most incredible person in the world. He held Richard Goranski in his arms, feeling now more than ever that this was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *alternatively titled: Say He Excites You... Sexually
> 
> Man, you know the story is coming to a close if the titles are becoming like Nagisa shark references in 50% Off. And yes, the rumor does come out: the story is coming to an end. Part of me is going to miss the experience of writing this but the other part of me has been yelling at me to put the same amount into my finals essays as I did to this.
> 
> The game plan moving forward is the next chapter will be the final chapter wrapping up pretty much every loose end. There will be an epilogue afterwards that I did technically foreshadow. What's after this, then? Well, I will be doing fanfics for other fandoms, but I do have a lot of one-shots based off of this planned. The first one that will probably come out involves Jake and Michael dueting and I'm honestly too hyped to write it. BUT if any of you have any prompts you would like to see me write, comment below! I don't know how fast I'll be able to publish them, mostly because I REALLY DO need to stop neglecting my schoolwork. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you SO MUCH for reading and for everyone who commented and gave kudos. You were the ones who gave me the inspiration to keep writing. I literally squealed when I read positive comments from you guys and even did a happy dance over a few. I'm so happy for the support I've gotten for this and it's just... super awesome.
> 
> Have a wonderful day/night/afternoon, my beautiful lovely readers!  
> -Hope


	11. C- C- C'mon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's favorite couple breaks up. Michael receives one of the best gifts he could have anticipated.

Michael parked in the Middle Borough High School parking lot, looking over at Rich in the passenger seat. Rich’s knee was bouncing hard, his heel slamming against the floor of the car. Michael put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle smile.

 

“You sure you want to tell everyone?” Michael asked sincerely, looking into his eyes. “If this is too uncomfortable-” he started.

 

“Nah,” Rich shook his head. “I don’t want Jake to be the Expensive Headphones homewrecker. But, if we break up because you’re a junkie-”

 

“No.” Michael laughed, shaking his head. “Dude, we’re breaking up because you just like me for my body.” He winked. Rich turned a little red, looking away. Michael chuckled to himself. “Also, what’s Expensive Headphones?”

 

“Jenna says that’s our ship name.” Rich snorted, rolling his eyes with a bemused grin. “I think it’s just her fetch, you know?” He said flippantly. Michael noticed how Rich’s lisp sounded much more pronounced than while they had been ‘dating’. Part of him wondered if Jake found it cute. The other part of him wondered if Jake found it sexy. For now, though, he needed to get Rich pissed

 

“What’s fetch?” Michael asked, tilting his head. He resisted a smile when he saw Rich’s face start to turn red. Michael was completely teasing him- he had watched Mean Girls before, but of course Rich did not need to know that- and the stoner was absolutely delighted by how furious Rich looked. Rich opened the door, storming out of the car dramatically.

 

“You see? This is why I can’t be with you anymore!” Michael hid a snicker, watching Rich slam the door and storm towards the school. Michael got out of the car, locking it with a press of a button on his key before following him. 

 

“Oh, come on baby, I can change!” Michael called after him, seeing that some students were already noticing. Rich turned around, flipping him off. Michael gasped, clutching at his chest at the action. He was inwardly delighted to see that Rich was barely able to keep in his laughter as well. “Like this is all my fault!” Michael jogged to catch up with him, entering the school behind him. “You only want me for my body!” He gestured at himself, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting out in laughter as he did a body roll. Rich covered his face, clearly smiling even as he groaned. 

 

“Yeah? Well you only want me so you can beat someone at Super Smash Bros!” Rich spat, cheeks bright pink. Michael let out a short laugh, allowing himself to smile.

 

“So you finally admit you suck?” Michael raised an eyebrow. Rich’s eyes widened: apparently, the self-own was not actually planned for. He ran over, grabbing his hoodie and dragging him down to his level.

 

“Sh- shut the fuck up, you big ass tree!” Rich shook him, glaring as best he could. “It’s over between us!” His voice shook with theatrical emotion, hands once clutched in Michael’s collar pushing him back. Michael stumbled away, balling his hands in fists.

 

“Fine!” He looked away, covering his mouth in a vain attempt to keep people from seeing how wide his smile was. “We’re divorced!” He feigned wiping a tear from his eye, running off to the bathroom. Rich stormed off to his locker, sucking his teeth in fake irritation. He stopped when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He whipped around, putting his fists up. 

 

“Square the fuck u-” His voice died in his throat when he saw who he was challenging. Christine looked him over, eyebrows arched. Rich put his fists down sheepishly, sticking his hands in his pockets. Christine laughed to herself, putting her hands at her sides.

 

“I wanted to congratulate you and Jake.” She said kindly. Rich was barely able to keep his eyes from widening. She giggled, holding her hands behind her back. “I’m friends with him, Richard.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Rich rocked on his heels, stuffing his hands further in his pockets. “We’re going to be under the radar for a bit. Until, um, V-day. So don’t go around tellin’ Jenna or whoever.” He mumbled. She nodded, imitating zipping her lips. She started to walk away but Rich grabbed her arm.

 

“Wait!” He looked up and down the hallway, looking to see if anyone else was paying attention. Most people were in the cafeteria for breakfast or gathered around Jenna for any information of what the hell just happened. “Uh, do you know what’s up with Jeremy? Do you know if he’s gonna-”

 

Christine shook her head, gesturing to her ‘zipped’ lips. She smiled cheerfully, waving goodbye before walking off to her first period class. Rich rolled his eyes, groaning as he headed back to his own class. He pulled out his phone, texting Michael to make sure he was okay. He nearly tripped before he was able to send the message, a frightened squeak jumping out of his throat. He felt strong hands on his upper arms, steadying him. He looked up at the figure.

 

“Watch where you’re going, hon.” Jake’s smile was warm enough to put the sun to shame. Rich punched his shoulder once he regained his balance, his face feeling as though it were on fire- again. “Okay, so honey is out of the running.” Jake laughed, rolling his punched shoulder. “How about muffin?”

 

“Jacob?” Rich crossed his arms, a smile tugging at his lips. “I don’t want to demote you back to a wheelchair.” Jake put his hands up as high as he could comfortably with his crutches.

 

“Alright, cupcake.” Jake said mildly, keeping an eye on his reaction. Rich spluttered, his face turning pinker. “I’ll see you second period.” He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. Rich stood stunned in the middle of the hallway as his boyfriend’s crutches clunked against the floor.

* * *

 

Michael walked out of the bathroom, rubbing under his eyes. He noticed that he was starting to have shadows under his eyes recently. While he was frequently staying up for various reasons, he figured that recent events lead to the stress that had kept him up the past few nights. He knew that trying to push his cheek fat back towards his eyes would not make them disappear but damn if that would not stop him from trying.

 

He adjusted his backpack, walking off to his locker. He needed to get his sodas in a stable environment so there would not be another Cherry Po(m)pei incident in lunch today. He fiddled with the lock, yawning widely before clicking it open. He opened the door slowly, anticipating a possible landslide of smelly gym clothes and cracked deodorants. He frowned when a red envelope glided out from his locker and just beside his feet. He looked around the hall, seeing if anyone was anticipating him picking it up. He picked it up, pursing his lips.

 

The front was addressed to ‘Michael G.D Mell’, which was a bit confusing since he only had one middle name and it did not start with either of those letters. He flipped it over, seeing a blue rupee from Legend of Zelda sticker keeping the flap of the envelope stuck to the rest of it. He smiled a little, carefully lifting the sticker up from the envelope without ripping it. He plucked the card out of the envelope. 

 

He felt his breath catch in his throat. The card had a taped polaroid picture on the front of him and Jeremy. They were maybe in middle school, sitting on a sandy beach in their swim trunks. Their arms were wrapped around each other’s shoulders, both of them beaming at the camera. Michael felt his chest warm at the memory: they had gone to Long Island Beach together for Michael’s birthday. This was maybe ten minutes before his botched attempt at surfing, which thoroughly embarrassed him and Jeremy to this day. Jeremy had attempted to pull him to the beach, but had almost drowned as well in the attempt. They both ended up getting pulled to shore by Mr. Heere who then got a professional to give them CPR. 

 

Michael shook himself out of the memory, deciding to finally look inside the card. He managed to grab the ticket that almost fell out from inside the card. He furrowed his brows, reading the text on the ticket. His heart pounded faster: it was for the Valentine’s day dance. He looked at the writing in the card.

 

‘You’re my favorite person, M. Let's make this a two player game.’

* * *

 

“Jeremy Heere?” 

 

“Y- yeah?” Jeremy sat up straighter, giving his teacher his full attention. She gestured to the landline on the wall. Jeremy got up cautiously, unsure of what the teacher expected of him. 

 

“Mr. Reyes’ says he needs to confirm something with you.” She gestured him closer. He nodded in confusion, walking over and taking the phone from her. 

 

“This is Jeremy.” He managed, wiping his sweaty palm on his jeans. His heart was still pounding from delivering the invitation to Michael’s locker that morning. He supposed it was still morning, but time had decided to spontaneously move like molasses for him.

 

“Heh, I didn’t know my Reyes impression was that good.” His heart nearly stopped when he heard Michael’s snicker. “So how are you, Jer?” Michael asked as casually as he would almost any other day.

 

“D- dude what?” He hissed into the receiver, looking around suspiciously. “Wh- I’m okay?”

 

“Same.” Michael replied smoothly. Jeremy hoped that his panicky breathing was not audible to Michael. “So, you were the one who dropped that card off at my locker.” Michael stated, clearly stating what he had inferred. 

 

“Yeah, that- that was me.” Jeremy looked at his shoes, clenching and unclenching his hands in his jeans pocket. “Are you s- sure you d- don’t want to talk about this in p- person, Mr. Reyes?” 

 

“Well, if we did I’d probably just end up kissing you.” Jeremy choked on his own spit, coughing hard. He heard Michael laugh in his ear, making his face redden. He glanced around the class, worry about people noticing his reaction only furthering the spread of the heat on his face. “You okay?”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Jeremy managed to control his voice. “So uh, is this good for my… grade?” He tried, hope seeming to replace the blood pumping through his veins.

 

“Jeremy, I’ve loved you for a really long time now.” Michael replied, his voice tender and just too sweet. “I’m glad you love me back, but-”

 

“I don’t hate you. I put you through hell and what you did… it hurt, but I understand.” Jeremy said quietly, closing his eyes with a smile. “You can, uh, drop off the papers later if you want.” He added, glancing over at his teacher.

 

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Michael snorted. “Uh, do you want me to actually drop by?” Michael sounded just as confused as Jeremy had at the beginning of the call.

 

“Next period it is.” Jeremy felt a smile spread across his face. “Thank you, Mr. Reyes.” He hung up, walking back to his desk. He sat down, finding it hard to keep the smile off his face. He went back to work on the worksheet the teacher had given them earlier, humming a cheerful tune to himself. 

 

The bell for the end of class rang. He stuffed his supplies back in his backpack, stumbling as he tried to get out of his desk. He groaned, backing up enough to finally stand up. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, grunting at the weight. His mind was still drifting on its high of Michael’s acceptance, making him take little notice of his surroundings. He found himself bumping into someone while exiting the room.

 

“Oh sor-” he started, looking up at the person he collided with. He blanched, seeing Michael standing in front of him with a cocky smile on his face. Jeremy managed to smile back, face a little pink. “Mr. Mell.” He addressed, mentally kicking himself as soon as the words left his lips.

 

“Mr. Heere.” Michael replied courteously, the same damn gorgeous smile on his face. Of course he made something so weird and dorky sound funny and a tad sexy. Jeremy nodded at the door, keeping his eyes on Michael.

 

“I, uh, gotta go to my next class.” He explained, scratching at the side of his nose. “See you fourth period?” He suggested, shifting from foot to foot. He wished he was a little less nervous talking to Michael, but he also knew that he should not loiter long: not if he wanted to stay out of detention.

 

“Yeah,” Michael ran his fingers through his  unfairly sleek hair, holding a slushie in his free hand. Jeremy noticed a somewhat purple tint to his lips from the icy beverage. He tried to keep himself from wondering if he could test how much syrup could be tasted in someone's mouth after drinking an entire slurpie. “See you then.” He grinned, heading to his own seat.

 

“OK, love you.” Jeremy hummed, walking off. His ears were bright pink from saying it, but he could not help but smile when he heard Michael splutter behind him. Things would be different between them now, but he was ready for it. Being honest with Michael about his feelings had been liberating- kissing him still sent shivers of pleasure through him. He smiled to himself, ducking into his classroom. He sat in his usual seat between Christine and Rich, giving Christine a small smile. Rich looked up at him, giving him a grin. Jeremy sat down, pulling his books out.

 

Michael goddamn Mell was the person he was ready to spend the rest of his life with. Jeremy had royally screwed up their relationship last year, but he knew he was going to spend every day making sure Michael never felt alone like that again. Every day would make up for the days he was too cowardly to tell Michael that he loved him. He owed it to both of them. 

 

_ Do you, _ really?  _Jeremy Heere, you know this happy ending will go away. Just like your happy ending with Christine._

 

"No," Jeremy mumbled to himself, pulling his notebook out of his backpack. "Because this isn't an ending. It's just the beginning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH
> 
> The last chapter before the epilogue! Over fifty pages written and my heart is overWHELMED with happiness. I loved writing this fic for all of you and am so glad that y'all really do love it as much as me. The epilogue should be out by the end of this week and then there will probably be a hiatus as I get started on my next work (thank you so much to my star friend for inspiring me). As I said last time, this has been such a journey and I am just so so so happy for your support. 
> 
> I'm still cool if you want to send me any prompts or ideas, so comment below if there's anything you need to satisfy your shipping soul. I think you'll like my next big fic, but one-shots might pop up before my little... well, let's just say it'll have some badda bing and badda boom.
> 
> Have a lovely morning/evening/unholy hour that is 11:43, my dear readers!  
> -Hope


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Finale

“This party sucks.” Jenna mumbled into her cup, just loud enough for Christine to hear. Christine looked over at her in surprise, her hands folded in front of her plum dress. The tulle of the skirt had depressed around where her hands laid, the black crinoline under the tulle creating waves in the dress from that spot.

 

“What do you mean? Everyone looks like they’re having fun.” Christine gestured at the sophomores and juniors dancing wildly on the dance floor. The music- while not Christine’s taste- was getting a rather positive reaction from her classmates. Jenna put her cup down on the counter behind them, shrugging. “Do you want to go out and dance too?” Christine suggested, tilting her head curiously. Jenna snorted, shaking her head.

 

“No, it’s too crowded.” Jenna dismissed. “Besides, I’d look ridiculous dancing in this.” She gestured to her lilac mermaid cut dress. Christine smiled sadly: she wished that the rest of their friends had shown up at the same time as they did so that Jenna could feel more comfortable. She tapped her chin just below her glossed lips, humming in consideration.

 

“Well, at least you know the moves,” Christine mused, playing with the knee length skirt. “I would look ten times more ridiculous than you.” She noted, looking back at Jenna. Jenna pursed her lips, brushing her hair back from her shoulder. Jenna knew what Christine was suggesting, and she would like to be less of a wallflower for the rest of the party. The only problem would be if Christine was okay with possible social humiliation. She met Christine’s eyes, searching her face to see if she was actually serious about this plan. Christine gave her wide grin, her eyes wide in excitement.

 

“That sounds good.” Jenna nodded. Christine smiled from ear to ear, grabbing her hand and leading her to the outskirts of the dance floor. Jenna could not help but smile at how full-heartedly Christine danced, clearly not knowing the context of the song or maybe even the lyrics. Jenna danced along to the song a few feet away from Christine, humming happily to herself. They would occasionally catch each other’s eye and share a smile, knowing that the other was having fun. 

  
  


Brooke and Chloe entered the party forty-five after doors opened (thirty minutes after Jenna and Christine had arrived). Brooke waved eagerly to Jenna, her cheeks almost as pink as her dress. Chloe gave Jenna nod, holding onto Brooke’s right hand with her left. Her other hand reached up out of her suit jacket pocket to adjust her navy blue tie. Chloe did like the suit that she and Brooke had picked out, but she did think that Brooke would have been able to pull it off better than her. Fortunately for Brooke, the blonde’s pout was absolutely irresistible, so Brooke went in her cutest princess outfit while Chloe was left with the role of the dashing butch princess.

“Jenna! Christine!” Brooke ran over to them, still holding onto her girlfriend’s hand. “How’s it going?” She asked eagerly, bouncing in her almost fluorescent pink flats. Christine walked closer to the pair, giving them a thumbs up. Jenna walked closer to them, grinning from ear to ear.

 

“It’s alright. Five sophomores got kicked out for trying to pass out edibles.” Jenna snorted. “So a bunch of the other sophomores followed them to put it on their stories.” She grinned, looking at the less full dance floor. 

 

“We’ll probably hear all about it Monday.” Christine smiled, leaning slightly on Jenna for support. The four inch platforms she had strapped on had not exactly been the best for her legs. “By the way, you two look great.” She added, looking at the couple. Brooke giggled, covering her mouth. Chloe flipped her long ponytail, a small smile on her face as well.

 

“You don’t look half bad, Christie.” Chloe replied, giving her a wink. She could have sworn she saw the theater fanatic blush at the compliment. “I think I’ll go get some punch for me and m’lady.” Chloe hummed, lifting Brooke’s hand and kissing the back of it before walking off. Brooke looked frozen in place, her cheeks even pinker than before. Jenna pulled out her phone, taking a picture.

 

“Ooh. Caption: Brooke.exe has stopped working.” Christine offered, looking at her phone over her shoulder. Jenna laughed, typing it in regardless of how cliqued she knew it was at this point.

 

Chloe poured two glasses of punch for her and Brooke before pulling out her own phone. She typed in her password quickly before opening up her messenger app. She huffed, seeing that her texts to Rich and Jake had been left of read. She sent another to Rich in an attempt to make him reply.

 

**Hurry up gays**

**U better hv ment guys**

**We bi + pan**

**Stop typing like you have a flip phone and maybe I’ll upgrade**

**Sometimes i wonder how long u were on ecstacy**

**Haha. But seriously, you better not show up after Mike and Jerry**

**They have the stoner excuse**

**You two don’t**

**w/e. Well b bi soon**

 

Chloe rolled her eyes, putting her phone back in her suit jacket pocket. She was glad that Rich was finally comfortable in who he truly was, but she wished he would stop intentionally trying to cringe her out. She sniffed the punch to check if it was spiked. She huffed in irritation when she found it had not been. She walked back to her girlfriend and her friends, humming along to the music.

* * *

 

A blue car pulled up outside of Middleborough High School, parking in the closest spot to the school in question. The car stalled, its headlights shining onto a wall just below an empty classroom window. After a minute or so, the headlights turned off leaving only the overhead light inside the car as the source of brightness. If one was close enough, they could see that Jacob Dillinger- possibly the coolest person on the entire eastern seaboard- and Richard Goranski- once the second coolest person in Middleborough High- had pressed their foreheads against each other’s. Jake was holding his boyfriend’s hand in his left and cupping his cheek with his right, his bright blue eyes examining the face in front of him.

 

“You’re shaking.” Jake whispered just a few centimeters away from Rich’s lips. Rich leaned into Jake’s hand, pursing his lips. “Are you sure you’re ready? We don’t have to come out now.” He suggested, brushing his thumb over a cluster of freckles on his cheek.

 

“I wanna.” Rich opened his eyes, hazel specks in his blue eyes glinting from the fluorescent lights outside of their car. “I want people to know we’re together. It’s a little… scary.” He explained, continuing to run his thumb over the back of Jake’s neck. Jake leaned down, laying a tender kiss against his lips. Rich reciprocated eagerly, scooting closer to him in his seat. They broke apart after a few seconds, Jake laughing to himself. Rich nudged him, smiling more. “Dude, what’s funny?”

 

“I was thinking about your new hair color when I said that.” Jake snorted, looking at the purple streak in his hair. The was not a pure purple: fading from a periwinkle on the left, to a lavender in the center, then a red-violet on the right. Rich laughed, shoving his shoulder. “I think it looks cute, but some people aren’t ready for that change!” Jake chuckled, shoving him back. Rich flipped him off with a grin before popping open the car door. “Babe, wait up!” Jake called, turning the car off as quickly as he could.

 

“Had me all concerned! But no!” Rich hollered as soon as he stepped out of the car, waving his arms around. “Because neither of us can be serious in this relationship, can we?” He could barely conceal a smile at how ridiculous he was acting. He figured he had spent too much time with Michael if he was becoming this dramatic out of reflex. Jake crossed over to his side of the car, trying his best to make a concerned expression. 

 

“I’m sorry, babe.” Jake opened his arms up for a hug. “I promise I’ll only ever be serious with you.” He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Rich punched him lightly in the chest before granting him a hug. 

 

“You better be.” Rich mumbled, nuzzing his nose under his tie. Jake repressed another chuckle, looking down at his boyfriend’s blonde hair. He could not help but think how lucky he was in this moment: that he was able to realize these feelings and have them returned by someone who understood him. He pressed another kiss to the top of Rich’s head, swaying a little to the music that could be heard from outside the school.

 

“Hey! Losers!” They both jumped at the sound of Chloe’s voice, looking over in her direction. “Get in here before the teachers realize the punch is spiked!” Rich let go of Jake’s suit jacket, dashing over to his friend. Jake followed, straightening his red tie with a small smile. 

* * *

 

“They’re inseparable.” Chloe groaned, sipping on her punch as she watched Brooke and Rich. After Jake and Rich had walked in together holding hands, Brooke had ran over to Rich and nearly tackled him with a hug. Jenna had barely had time to snap a photo before Brooke had been cooing over his hair and dark green suit, saying he looked like ‘that one DC villain but, like, hotter’. The two had been dancing together to a popular duet that had burst onto the top forty recently. A circle of people had surrounded them, taking a video of their practically choreographed dance. While Chloe could admit it was cute as hell, it was a bit annoying to be on her own. 

 

“Huh. Never noticed.” Chloe looked over in surprise at Michael Mell who seemed to have just appeared out of thin air to stand next to her. And he looked… good, for once. The Pac-Man suit was a… choice, but it was tailored right and the colors were vibrant enough to make it look just as nice as any other suit in the room. “They’re cousins or something?” Michael looked over at her, the colored lights creating a glare off of his glasses. 

 

“When did you get here?” Chloe asked, raising one of her eyebrows enough to wrinkle one side of her forehead. Michael snorted, taking a swig out of an unmarked water bottle. “I haven’t seen you this whole time! It’s an honest question!” She insisted, pouting. Michael snorted a little, putting his bottle back down.

 

“Jeremy and I’ve been here since you guys came in.” Michael pushed his glasses up his nose. “We were mostly messing around with the photobooth over there, though, so.” He shrugged. “But we’re pretty good at not getting noticed.” He said casually, running his fingers through his coiffed hair. Chloe played with her ponytail, biting her lip. 

 

“Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “But I think Brooke and Rich might be cousins. They don’t really talk about it though, and it doesn’t really matter, so.” She hummed before swigging down the rest of her drink. Michael nodded, smiling a little. “You could ask Jenna about the rest.” She said offhandedly, looking around for a place to put her empty cup.

 

“Pro’lly should.” He hummed, sticking his hands in his pockets. One of his knuckles pressed against a button that made the ghosts and title character light up on his jacket. Chloe looked at it curiously, wondering now how much the suit cost. “Oh mother- shit.” Michael groaned, taking his hands out of his pockets quickly. Jeremy walked over from across the room, clearly concerned. Chloe tried not to groan when she saw that Jeremy was wearing the exact same suit as Michael only fitted to his own measurements. Of course the two dorks at school were wearing the exact same dorktastic outfit.

 

“Babe, are you okay?” Jeremy asked when he was close enough, eyebrows bunched together in concern. Michael shook his head, smiling easily as he patted Jeremy’s shoulder.

 

“I’m fine. It was an accidental press.” Michael assured him, sliding his hand down into Jeremy’s. Jeremy looked over at Chloe, making sure his suspicions were not correct. She rolled her eyes, walking away in search of the trash can. “Really. Anyways, we should probably make it two flashes so we don’t have more accidents.” Michael added casually, holding both of Jeremy’s hands in his own. 

 

“Okay.” Jeremy conceded, smiling happily. Michael raised one of their paired hands, kissing his knuckles bashfully. Jeremy himself turned bright red at the action, looking away in embarrassment. Michael laughed, bowing his head. 

 

“Hey guys!” Christine walked over to Jeremy and Michael, pulling Jeremy into a tight hug. Jeremy hugged back, patting her head as she rocked him. He managed to gently push her away, smiling down at her.

 

“What’s up?” He asked, looking her over curiously. Taking into account her flushed cheeks and lack of balance, he figured she had had a little too much punch. She giggled, looking up at him.

 

“I think I’m gay.” She confided in a stage whisper. Jeremy chuckled, patting her shoulders. “And like, Michael and you look good.” She patted his shoulders awkwardly in return. Michael walked over to his boyfriend, wrapping an arm around his waist securely. Jeremy could feel heat rise on his cheeks at the mildly possessive gesture. Damn, it felt nice to have Michael hold him like this.

 

“Thanks, Christine.” Michael patted Christine’s flushed cheek. “But we all know everyone in this school ain’t straight.” He winked. Christine let out a bubbling laugh, trotting back to the punch bowl. Jake lifted her up gently, carrying her over to Jenna. Christine just giggled, singing lines from Story of Tonight before falling into Jenna’s arms. Michael and Jeremy laughed, leaning against each other.

 

“She’s adorable.” Jeremy hummed, closing his eyes as he shook his head. Michael pressed a kiss to the top of Jeremy’s head, nuzzling his nose in his scalp. Jeremy let out a small giggle, leaning into him. “Not as much as you, of course.” Jeremy promised, turning around and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. 

 

“I was gonna say you’re cuter, but whateves.” Michael teased, squeezing Jeremy gently in his arms before sliding his hands in his back pockets. Jeremy knew his cheeks were pink, leading him to hide his face in Michael’s neck. Michael rested his head on Jeremy’s, watching the dance floor while Jeremy whined into his shirt.

 

“Hey, Mikey!” Rich ran over to Michael, grinning from ear to ear. “You and Jeremy should dance! They’re playin’ some nerd shit next, I think.” Rich ran his fingers through his purple streak. Michael laughed, shaking his head.

 

“Dude, we’re not you and Brooke. Or the cast of High School Musical.” Michael snorted. “Not all of us can bust out an entirely choreographed routine like we’re in some kind of musi-” 

 

“Chlo!” Brooke barrelled past them like a pink missle, wrapping her arms around Chloe and pressing an eager kiss to her lips. Chloe smiled, tucking some of Brooke’s loose hair behind her ear as she returned the kiss. 

 

“Chlo, we should dance more.” Brooke breathed when she pulled away, tapping Chloe’s lips. Chloe played with Brooke’s curls, humming in thought. “You look so good on the dance floor! Let’s dance together!” Brooke swayed in her arms, grinning from ear to ear. 

 

“Give me a few minutes, okay sweetie?” Chloe kissed her cheek. “I have to sober up or else I’ll never get my hands off you.” She murmured in her ear. Brooke squealed, peppering her girlfriend with more kisses. Chloe laughed, guiding them away from the punch table in search of a more private area. Michael looked back over at Rich, arching a brow.

 

“Is Brooke drunk?” Michael asked bluntly. Rich shook his head, laughing to himself. Jeremy shook his head, looking back at the couple. “I thought she’d be tired after all that dancing. Not like… hornier.” He shrugged, glancing down at Jeremy. Jeremy chuckled, looking back up at him.

 

“Nah, that’s just who she is.” Jeremy hummed, resting his head on his chest. Rich nodded before reaching over and tugging on Michael’s arm. Jeremy stuck his tongue out at Rich, hugging Michael closer. “Hands off my ‘riend.” Michael looked down at Jeremy in surprise, a pink blush spreading across his cheeks at the possessiveness of his boyfriend. Tit for tat, he supposed.

 

“Horny, horny kids.” Rich tutted, swatting Jeremy’s hands away. “I just want one dance with Mikey, Jere-lamey.” Rich stuck his tongue out before pulling Michael out onto the dance floor. Jeremy crossed his arms, smiling despite himself as he watched the two dance together. He listened to the song that had just come on, which he assumed was the one Rich said was nerdy. He groaned, realizing it was Shut Up and Dance With Me.

 

“It’s not nerdy if it’s norm-core.” Jeremy groaned to himself, pinching his nose. “It’s just hipster, god damnit Richard!” He fumed, leaning back against the table. Jake nudged Jeremy’s arm, making sure the other junior was aware of him. 

 

“Cheers to that, bro.” Jake raised his cup before downing his punch. Jeremy laughed, glancing over at Michael and Rich. Jake looked over at them as well, setting the plastic cup down. “Sorry that I manhandled you about the whole Michael and Rich situation last week or whenever the hell that was.” Jake hummed, loosening his tie slightly. 

 

“It’s fine.” Jeremy shook his head, smoothing one of his eyebrows down with his thumb. “It, uh, kind of gave me that kick in the butt I needed.” He looked back at Jake. “You and Rich are really good together. I’m glad you guys are going to come out.” He gave the popular young man’s shoulder a pat. He nearly gave a double take when he saw a blush rise on Jake’s cheeks.

 

“To be honest, I am a little scared still.” Jake looked back over at Rich, a smile spreading across his face. “But Rich is just… stupid brave.” He chuckled, watching as Michael spun Rich around. Rich stumbled a few feet away, bumping into another student. “He deserves someone who’s just is as brave as him.” Jeremy nodded, tucking some of his hair behind his ear.

 

“I think you’re more than brave enough for him.” Jeremy promised, patting his shoulder awkwardly. “Besides, we can’t all be Michael.” He added with a shrug. Jake laughed, clapping Jeremy on the shoulder as well. Jeremy forced a wider smile while holding back a wince. Michael and Rich returned to their boyfriends at the end of the song, Rich immediately embracing Jake as soon as he got close enough.

 

“Hey there tuff-tootin’.” Rich got up on his tiptoes, kissing his cheek. Michael snickered, ruffling Rich’s hair.

 

“You quotin’ Adventure Time, shortie?” Michael cooed. “This has gotta be true love if we’re going to teen cartoon quotes.” He teased, a grin spreading from cheek to cheek. Rich turned around, punching him in the stomach. Michael gripped his stomach, doubling over and groaning in pain. Jeremy grabbed Michael, rubbing his back soothingly as he glared at Rich.

 

“Dude, what the f-” Jeremy started before squawking in surprise when someone shoved Rich hard enough to make him almost fall to the floor. Jake ran over to catch Rich, looking back in shock. Christine was rolling her shoulder, a strange look on her face. Jeremy had never seen her look quite so dangerous before: not even when she had been SQUIPped. 

 

“What the hell?” Jake demanded Christine, rubbing his boyfriend’s back. Christine smacked her lips, glancing down at her empty plastic cup. “Oh my god, you are so drunk.” He sighed, taking the cup away from her.

 

“No one pushes palayer one ‘round.” Christine slurred, giving Michael a wink. Michael laughed a little, wincing in pain. Jake sighed, looking over at Jenna. Jenna put her phone down, smiling completely unapologetically. It was clear that she had intentionally let her eyes off of Christine so she could get good footage of a fight happening at the dance. Jake sighed, picking the lightweight up again. 

 

“Okay, okay. We’re going to find a good babysitter.” Jake groaned, looking around for somewhere safe to place Christine. Michael straightened his back, still keeping one hand on his possibly bruising stomach. 

 

“I can Christine-sit.” Michael offered, giving him a small smile. Jake nodded, walking to a bench against the wall. Part of him wondered who brought in a bench from outside the school into the cafeteria, but the other part of him was relieved to put Christine. He set her down, smoothing her hair back again. Michael sat down next to her, giving Jake two thumbs up. Jake nodded in relief, looking back over at where Rich and Jeremy had been. He frowned, seeing they had disappeared from their spot. He saw them back in the crowd, Rich having dragged Jeremy into a dance. Jake sat down on the bench, humming softly. Christine leaned against Michael, giggling to herself.

 

“Mm, ‘m so glad you two-gether.” Christine insisted, poking Michael’s cheek. Michael looked back down at her, rubbing her shoulder. She giggled, tilting her head. “Jeremy cute. Gets embarrassed all the time.” She waved her hands around.

 

“Yeah.” Michael pushed his glasses up his nose, smiling down at her. “How much punch did you have, anyways?” He asked, looking her over again. She held up one hand, wiggling her fingers. He laughed more, patting her head. “Wonder what your BAC is.” He leaned closer, sniffing near her mouth. She wrinkled her nose, patting his cheek.

 

“Dude, personal space.” She pushed him away. “‘Sides, I don’ wan’ people think you tryna kiss.” She poked his nose. Michael pulled away, coughing into his fist.

 

“Like I’d kiss you.” He managed, smirking a little as he looked back over at her. “I know you want all this, but you can’t get it.” He stuck his tongue out, winking. She shoved him, rolling her eyes.

 

“You woulda kiss’ me to kiss Jeremy.” She stuck her tongue out as well, her eyes seeming to twinkle with mischief. “But y’know, you went with the othe’ bi twink.” She smirked from ear to ear at the roast. Michael pinched her cheeks, pulling them away from her face. She whined, slapping uncoordinatedly at his wrists. “It’s true!” She insisted with her mouth wide open, whining when Michael pulled more. 

 

“Guys, knock it off.” Jake chuckled, patting Michael’s back. Michael let go of Christine’s cheeks, making a wet popping noise when they returned to their normal positions. Christine whined, rubbing her left cheek. Michael sighed, pecking her free cheek gently.

 

“Sorry.” Michael relented, patting her shoulder. She giggled, pinching his cheek briefly. He grimaced, knowing that it was pretty much called for but it was still relatively unpleasant.

 

“Let-git barely a minute ago ya said you would never kiss me.” She teased, waggling her eyebrows. “What a surprising turn a events.” She got up shakily, T-posing briefly to regain her balance. “Anyways, I’m gonna see ‘f I can get Jenna to delete some blackmail.” She announced before walking off. Michael rolled his eyes, smiling bemusedly. Jake leaned back against the bench, humming along to the music. 

 

“I can’t believe the teachers haven’t freaked out about the bench yet.” Michael hummed, picking at the paint on the bench. “I mean, they have that punch situation to deal with, but they haven’t even seen that.” He leaned back against the bench back. Jake looked over at him.

 

“Eh, it’s only a Valentine’s day dance.” Jake shrugged. “Besides, I think they’re still dealing with that whole edibles situation.” He jumped a little when Michael slammed his fist against the arm of the bench.

 

“Dammit, Connor!” Michael huffed, looking over at the door. Jake’s eyebrows jumped up, his eyes widening. “Told him not to sell to sophomores but no, ‘I’ve got nothing to live for because my parents don’t care’.” Michael grumbled to himself, quoting most likely the Connor he had previously mentioned.

 

“Seriously?” Jake laughed. “You know the dealer?” He asked, arching a brow, Michael leaned back, sighing heavily.

 

“Sort of. Rich and I met this jackass Jared at the mall with his friend and one thing lead to another and I ended up meeting Connor.” Michael shrugged casually, looking back at Jake. “You’ll probably end up meeting Jared eventually. He’s like Rich if he stayed SQUIPped.” He snorted. Jake nodded, fixing his hair.

 

“I’m glad you treated him well, by the way.” Jake rubbed the back of his neck, feeling heat rise on his cheeks. “I know you two weren’t into each other, but I know you cared about him.” 

 

“Yeah,” Michael tightened his tie, looking down at his knees. “Do you mind if I give you a few tips on being with him?” He suggested, looking over at Jake. Jake nodded, scooting closer to Michael. Michael smiled, leaning in and beginning to whisper in his ear.

* * *

 

“Michael!” Jeremy ran over to the bench, his face flushed. He seemed simultaneously frustrated and relieved to see the man he had called for. Michael and Jake turned to him simultaneously. Jake’s cheeks had a dusting of pink that did not seem attributable to the punch. Michael’s cheeks were a ruddy red which Jeremy recognized was from the heat.

 

“Yeah, babe?” Michael asked innocently, meeting his eyes. Jeremy huffed, sitting down beside him. “Something bad happen?” Michael’s expression changed drastically once he got a closer look at him- Jeremy had no clue he looked so bad.

 

“I tried to get off the dance floor with the signal.” Jeremy groaned, taking his jacket off. “But Rich just called ‘rave’ and then I was crammed in the center of a huge crowd and it was a mess.” He wiped his forehead, feeling some sweat still drip down his neck. 

 

“I’m so sorry, Jeremy.” Michael grabbed the jacket, wiping off his face. “It was hard to see you from over here.” He kissed his forehead gently. Jeremy wrinkled his nose, a small smile working its way onto his face despite his lingering frustration.

 

“Dude, I’m all sweaty.” He protested quietly. Michael wiped his cheek with his sleeve gently. Jeremy felt like he was going to melt from the kindness in Michael's smile.

 

“Still my boyfriend.” He tapped his nose affectionately. Jeremy felt like his face was glowing red at this point. Michael wrapped an arm around his waist gently, pulling him close enough to cuddle.

 

“Jake!” Rich barrelled over to the man in question, grabbing his arms and pulling him up. “Slow dance! We gotta!” Rich looked like he was vibrating with energy. Jake opened his mouth to reply.

 

“Can I have the first dance?” Brooke asked, placing a hand on Jake’s shoulder. Rich whined, trying to push Brooke out of the way. “Dude, chill.” She giggled, patting Rich’s head. 

 

“Why not?” Jake shrugged, reaching up and taking Brooke’s hand in his own. They walked onto the dance floor together arm in arm. He hovered his hand over her waist questioningly, reading her face to see her reaction before he made a set decision. She gave him a nod, putting her hand on his shoulder. They moved together in a waltz-esque dance, Brooke humming along to Vanilla Twilight. Jake glanced around at the stumbling sophomores and freshman, chuckling a little.

 

“This is the last big dance before prom.” Brooke mused. Jake looked down at her curiously. “We have junior prom, then there’s a few formals, actual prom and then… we’re gone.” She shrugged. “Out of high school and into the real world. College and internships…” she sighed. Jake hummed, nodding in agreement. While that had generally been on his periphery of his thoughts, he never thought that was on Brooke’s mind.

 

“Do you have any plans for college?” Jake asked, giving her a little twirl. She smiled gratefully, spinning back into his arms. “Thinking about a gap year or…”

 

“I heard Kean has a good business program. Plus, half my family are allums there.” She nearly stepped on his toe but managed to avoid so at the last second. “And you?” She queried. He shrugged.

 

“I don’t know. We’re still figuring out custody and all that shit…” Jake sighed, giving her a small smile. “But I think it’ll work out by application season.”

 

“Do you think you’d go to the same college as Rich?” Her question stunned Jake, making him stop for a moment. She stopped as well, waiting for him to respond.

 

“Maybe. But I think he said he was taking a gap year.” Jake mused, going back to dancing. “I think we’ll cross that road when we get to it.” He glanced over to where Rich was leaning against Michael. Michael was still cuddling Jeremy but had put an arm around Rich, patting his back. “I don’t want to leave him, though. Being with him has been… quite the upgrade” He turned his attention back to Brooke. She gave him a smile, smoothing his suit jacket.

 

“I’m glad.” She wrapped her other arm around him. “Rich has been so happy these past few weeks.” She looked up at him. “And I know he would be devastated if you two ever broke up.” Her tone remained as cheerful as before, but her eyes communicated a deep seriousness. “It kinda sucked when Chloe and you broke up. She wasn’t devastated, but she was rather upset for weeks. I was so mad at you.” She giggled, looking down at their feet. Jake could feel the hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand at attention. “But if you ever hurt Rich like that,” She leaned up so her mouth was right next to his ear. “I’m going to make sure you need that wheelchair permanently.” She whispered with a smile. She pulled away when the song ended, walking off to find Chloe. Jake stood pale-faced in the middle of the dance floor, shell shocked by the statement. He only noticed Rich when the boy in question grabbed his hand.

 

“Oh, hey.” Jake laughed a little, looking down at him. Rich got up on his toes, wrapping his arms around him to give him better leverage to kiss him. Jake smiled, leaning down slightly and granting him a kiss. 

 

“Happy Valentine’s day, Jake.” Rich murmured, swaying along with the music. Jake could not quite place the song, but did love the instrumentals so far. “Love ya.” Rich added quietly, his face starting to redden. Jake could feel his heart skip a beat at the admission. It was sweet and simple but meant so much to him. He did not need Brooke threatening him to keep him from ever considering making Rich ever be hurt by him.

 

“I love you too.” Jake kissed his forehead, closing his eyes. They swayed to the music, murmuring to each other and making the other laugh. Jake eventually recognized the song as ‘Time in a Bottle’, stirring up memories he had unintentionally repressed. Rich had to help Jake off the dance floor when he felt Jake’s breathing become more staccato: an indication that he might start crying.

 

“Dude, are you okay?” Rich asked once they were far enough away. Jake nodded, taking a shuddering breath. Rich pursed his lips, examining his face. “Did that song-?”

 

“It’s a really pretty song, okay?” Jake wiped his eyes on his sleeve. Rich laughed, pulling him down and kissing his cheek. Jake laughed, closing his eyes as Rich continued peppering his face with kisses. “M’ dad used to sing it. With mom.” Jake said quietly. Rich paused, closing his eyes and thinking through the statement. “I had almost forgotten it.” Jake sighed, holding onto Rich’s hands. “I want to sing it to you someday.” He confided. Rich sucked in a breath, looking down at Jake.

 

“Asshole, don’t make me cry too.” Rich hugged Jake tightly, sniffling. Jake hugged him back, burying his face in his hair. “Cheesy as hell… but yeah. We’ll get a guitar and I’ll learn to play. Then you can sing and-” Rich’s breath caught in his throat as he rubbed Jake’s back. He closed his eyes, relaxing his shoulders. “It’s gonna be wonderful.” 

 

“Everything’s wonderful when it involves you.” Jake promised, kissing his cheek. Rich seemed to melt in his arms, a dreamy smile on his face. “That’s why I want to spend all my time with you.”

 

“All of it?” Rich asked, looking up at him in shock. Jake nodded, smiling as he leaned in for another kiss. Rich put a finger to his lips, keeping him a little less than an inch away. “I’m going to be hanging out with Michael still. That okay with you?”

 

“Of course.” Jake nodded. “We talked and he gave me some tips.” He winked, blue eyes twinkling. “Maybe you and me and him and Jeremy can all hang out on the boardwalk together.” He mused, playing with Rich’s tie. Rich pulled his own hand away, crushing Jake with another kiss.

 

“I’d fuckin’ love that.”

* * *

 

“Well, the party’s wrapping up.” Michael hummed, leaning back against the bench. “We should probably head home.” Jeremy made a small noise, head rested against Michael’s shoulder. Michael chuckled, looking down at his boyfriend.

 

Jeremy was clearly exhausted from the night. After Jake and Rich had left, Michael had ended up persuading Jeremy to come onto the dance floor so they could jump around to Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, but they had ended up staying on the floor when the next song was ‘Cake On the Ocean Floor’. Christine had joined them, making their dancing even less coordinated. They eventually retired back to their bench after someone had played a K-Pop song which Michael and Christine both knew and loved (and Jeremy had no clue what was going on). When they checked their phones, they realized they had been dancing for almost twenty minutes. Michael had kicked his dress shoes off while Jeremy shed his jacket once more. Still, neither of them could rightly say they had not had a great time at the dance. They were just tired as hell now.

 

“You sure you can drive?” Jeremy yawned, his eyes still staying shut. “It’s been a long night.” He suggested, shifting closer to Michael.

 

“Dude, I’ve driven high and gotten home fine.” Michael poked Jeremy’s stomach. “I’ll get you home just fine.” 

 

“That’s not safe.” Jeremy whined, kicking his legs weakly. Michael laughed, scooping Jeremy up into his lap. “Oh my god, sex is not gonna fix this, Christian.” Jeremy could barely deliver the line without devolving into giggles.

 

“Should have never shown you any of the Fifty Shades movies.” Michael sighed, holding Jeremy in his arms as he stood. He carried them out of the cafeteria, kissing Jeremy’s forehead. “They’re only fun to watch high.”

 

“We did watch them high!” Jeremy poked his cheek. Michael laughed, bouncing him in his arms. Jeremy laughed, relaxing in his arms.

 

“You guys are leaving?” Michael turned around, seeing Christine and Jenna standing in the entryway. Christine looked as though she were the step before distraught while Jenna had more of a speculative expression. 

 

“Yeah… you guys keep having a fun time.” Michael waved them off as best as he could. Christine nodded, biting her lip. Jenna made a hissing noise.

 

“I wouldn’t leave so soon. They’re about to announce the Valentine King and Queen.” Jenna advised. Michael rolled his eyes, setting Jeremy down. Jeremy slipped his hand into Michael’s, letting Michael intertwine their fingers.

 

“We have a King and Queen of freakin’ Valentine’s day?” Michael shook his head, clicking his tongue in distaste. Jenna shrugged, glancing back at the DJ.

 

“I heard Rich rigged the votes so you would win King.” Jenna relayed nonchalantly. Michael groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And Chloe has to win Queen or else she’s going to sue the school.” Christine giggled, nodding. “So maybe-”

 

“And the votes are in!” The DJ had turned down the music. “Middleborough High’s Cupid is-” he played a drum roll sound effect as Christine hummed at the new information. Jeremy looked up at Michael curiously, wondering how Michael would react if he was picked.

 

“Chloe Valentine!” 

 

“What?” Jenna nearly dropped her phone. Christine squeezed her hand, smiling brightly as she watched the stylish butch walk to the center of the dance floor, accepting the heart scepter from Mr. Reyes. Triumphant trumpets blared from the stereo. “But- I- hu-” Jenna stammered, looking over at the three people around her.

 

“And the… psych? Psych-e?” The DJ squinted at the paper. “The other winner is Jenna Rolan!” 

 

Christine guided the shocked girl to her rightful place next to Chloe. She pecked her cheek after setting the crown of glittering hearts on her head before going back to the crowd. Michael and Jeremy watched from the entryway, leaning against each other as the blushing Jenna Rolan began dancing with Chloe Valentine to the tune of ‘Girls’ by Hayley Kiyoko. Michael eventually squeezed Jeremy’s hand, smiling down at him ever so tenderly.

 

“Let’s go get stoned in my basement."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE MONTH AND FIFTEEN PAGES LATER AND I'M FINALLY DONE!
> 
> I am so sorry I kept you all in suspense for so long, but I really do hope this was worth it. I was a little overzealous in saying that I would get the epilogue completely finished by that Friday, especially when I did have an important event to go to that night. However, school is over and my schedule moving forward is pretty much free! So look forward to some new (BMC but also some other fandoms) projects moving forward. I'm talking Detective AU. I'm talking Hanahaki disease. I'm talking needlessly cryptic messaging outside of my end notes. I am talking major levels of angst with the biggest pay-offs afterwards. 
> 
> I am also... asking for a beta. Or help finding one. As much as I know some of you love my writing style, I do know that it would be better if I made writing more of a two player game. So if any of you know someone who could help me out, please comment down below on who I can go to for help. 
> 
> In any case, I'm really glad you guys stuck with me through this. It's funny, because this idea basically came to me while I was talking about Boyf Riends and Arson Bro fics and how I kind of didn't see the angst I thought I would in the tags. My friend ended up spurring the idea in my head. I remember gasping hella loud and turning to her and going "RICH AND MICHAEL ARE FAKE-DATING TO MAKE JEREMY AND JAKE JEALOUS BUT THEY DON'T GET IT. AND WHENEVER THEY'RE AROUND THE GUYS, RICH WILL MAKE INNUENDOS LIKE 'and when we get home, maybe Mikey will blow more than smoke". Yeah. An over seventy page story came from me wanting to make a dumb weed/blow job joke. But I am so so so SO glad for all the support you guys have given me on this. Thank you for giving me kudos, commenting with such love, and just everything. You guys inspired me so much over these past few months.
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> And, as always, have a lovely life, my beautiful wonderful readers.  
> -Hope


End file.
